How to save a friend
by i1976 - blu notte
Summary: Friends are the family you choose: Enos has chosen the Dukes. When the deputy is in danger, the Dukes are involved in a dramatic and foggy case, and they have to fight in order to save their friend. Is their plan (Dukes-style) going to work? Do the Dukes and Enos really know Hazzard, or is something lurking in the shadow? When the fog finally lifts, it could be too late. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"So strange," Bo walked to the Boarding House, "Rosco calling us for help."

"It isn't so strange," Luke glanced at Bo, "if Enos isn't at the Police Department and if he doesn't answer the phone at the Boarding House, I'm not surprised Rosco called us thinking Enos was at the farm."

"Ok, but... WHERE is Enos?" Daisy openly stated the question floating in their minds.

"We're trying to find it out, Daisy, don't worry," Bo turned to her and smiled.

"I'm worrying, instead," Daisy folded her arms around her chest, "'cause it's pretty strange Enos didn't go to the Police Department this morning. His job is everything for him, and he's never late at work."

Bo and Luke glanced at each other, sharing the same worrisome.

"Maybe he got the flu, he's burning with fever and he's unable to answer the phone," Luke tried to calm Daisy down, "anyway, we're goin' to know it pretty soon."

Finally in front of the door of Enos' apartment, the Dukes looked at each other with trepidation and axiety.

"Enos?" Bo gently knocked at the door. "Enos? Are you here, buddy?"

No answer.

"No answer," Bo turned to Luke.

Luke grabbed the doorknob, "The door is open."

From the small opening, the sunlight entered the dark corridor; the Dukes looked at each other, again.

"Come in," Daisy opened the door wide, unable to stand that waiting.

The little room was lightened by the sunlight entering the window.

Bo walked to the bathroom, opening the door, "He isn't here. And it's why he didn't answer the phone. The apartment is empty."

Unmade bed, Enos' uniform on a chair, the gun-belt on the table: Luke's blue eyes stared at every detail in the room.

"Wherever Enos is, he isn't wearing his uniform," Luke pointed at Enos' uniform and gun-belt, then he pointed at the bed, "and he left the apartment in a hurry. He left his apartment in civil clothes, I suppose," he walked to the window and looked down in the street, "and with his personal car. His ol' station wagon isn't parked in front of the Boarding House as usual."

Daisy glanced at Enos' white t-shirt and black trousers (his usual outfit for the night), "but... WHY? Whatever happened, why didn't he warn Rosco 'bout his bein' late at work?" Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest, "Something bad is happened to him, otherwise..." she started to panic.

"Daisy... Daisy... please," Bo came closer her and gently rested his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, "look at me and keep calm. Stop thinking strange things. Maybe we're worrying too much, and this evening we'll probably be at the Boar's Nest with Enos, laughing of this day. OK?" He tried to smile, but he couldn't hide his worrisome.

"It's pointless to stay here," Luke walked around the little room, observing everything, "Enos isn't here, and there's nothing that could help us to know where he is. Come on, have a check outside the town and warn Rosco."

They came out the Boarding House and they walked to the General Lee; Luke grabbed the C.B. and called Rosco: strange thing, Rosco calling the Dukes for help and the Dukes calling Rosco for help.

"His car is in Yellow Creek," Rosco's voice came out the C.B. receiver, a strange tension in his tone, "Silas just called me 'cause he noticed and recognized Enos' car."

"Is Enos OK?" Daisy grabbed the C.B. receiver from Luke's hand, "How's Enos?"

A silence full of tension, seconds seeming hours, prefaced Rosco's final words, "Enos isn't there, but Silas told me there is blood on the car's door. Now, HURRY UP, we have to find that dipstick!"

Daisy looked in shock at her cousins, "Blood? Enos' blood?" her voice a whisper as Bo and Luke glanced at each other with fear in their eyes.

"Come on, Rosco is waiting for us. We have to find out what's happening!" Luke woke up from his shocked state and came in The General Lee, followed by his cousins: the image of them laughing with Enos at the Boar's Nest in the evening faded.


	2. Her freckles in the sunlight

**HER FRECKLES IN THE SUNLIGHT**

_ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER_

Nurse Emily O'Neill stirred. New day-shift in the I.C.U., and she was still tired because of the previous shifts: she just wanted to have a long and peaceful holiday.

She looked at the stretcher entering the I.C.U. and she sighed.

"What's goin' on?" Emily walked to the nurses pushing the stretcher in.

"Male, 30 years old, more or less," a young nurse answered her question.

Emily rolled her eyes: "_more or less,_" what did _"more or less"_ mean? She glanced at the young nurse and she shook her head: youngsters, they didn't know the importance of precision.

Pretending not to notice her older colleague's reproaching look, Anne Greenwald kept on talking, "Early in the morning he arrived in our E.R. in critical condition: severe head injury and penetrating abdominal trauma," she glanced at Emily, another reproaching look from her, "… gunshot wound, to be more precise."

Emily O'Neill nodded and Anne Greenwald sighed in relief, keeping on her report.

Emily nodded again, now satisfied of the younger colleague; she carefully listened to the procedures and operation the man underwent, and she carefully listed everything in her nursing record.

"OK, thanks Anne," Emily approached the stretcher and helped her colleagues to transfer that 'male, 30 years old, more or less' from the stretcher to the I.C.U.'s bed, carefully because of all the tubes and infusions. She checked his endotracheal tube, central venous access catheter, various draining tubes, and she connected him to the monitor.

"Ok, bye Emily," Anne stretched her arms above her head, trying to relax her back's muscles: that man was really heavy, and she felt like if her back was breaking.

"Hey, wait, but…" Emily scanned the medical and nursing reports of E.R. and operating room.

Anne nodded, "Yeah."

Emily O'Neill sighed, her eyes on the reports.

_132, #356789 - __John Doe - male, white, likely between the age of 25 and 35, brown hair and hazel eyes – Height 6'2" – Weight 200. Only mark: old surgical scar for appendicitis._

"He had no wallet with him, so no way to identify him," Anne shrugged, "John Doe."

Emily O'Neill closed her eyes and had a deep breathe: John Doe meant just a very bad and tiring time in the I.C.U.

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

"Yeah, it's Enos' car, and it's blood, no doubt 'bout it," Luke walked around Enos' car, trying to catch any other possible sign, then he glanced at Silas, "When did you find it?"

The man touched his long white beard, thoughtfully, "Early this morning. It was strange to have the car here, nobody nearby. When I came closer, I noticed the door open, and blood on it. I recognized Enos' ol' car, though I wasn't so sure 'bout it, and I called Rosco."

Rosco nodded at Silas' words, showing a wallet in his hands, "It's Enos' wallet, and it was inside the car".

"So, do you think it's Enos' blood?" Daisy forced her voice out her dry throat, a hoarse and scared voice, "Maybe… Maybe the car hit an animal, and…" she shook her head. Her idea was stupid, and she knew it: if Enos' car had simply hit an animal, Enos would have driven back to the town 'cause the car wasn't damaged to the point to be useless, or he would have called for help. Her idea was stupid but she couldn't help but grabbing any other possible idea rejecting the basic idea that the blood on the car' door was Enos' blood.

"Look," Bo knelt down, "here, these signs in the dust. I think…" he looked up at Luke, avoiding Daisy's eyes, "I think it's blood, drops of blood."

Luke knelt down by his younger cousin's side, staring at the dark liquid marking the road's dust, "Yeah, it could be blood."

The two cousins followed those drops until they stopped.

"Here, the drops stop…" Luke shook his head and scratched his hair, "…tires' marks," he stood up from his crouched position, "Someone probably pushed Enos in a different car after injuring him."

Bo stayed in his crouched position, staring at the blood and tires' marks in the dust, "Yeah, it's the most probable thing, though…" he shook his head in disappointment, "… maybe Enos simply had a car accident and someone helped him, bringing him to the Hospital." Like Daisy, he was trying to grab a calming hypothesis.

"Yeah, maybe. But why did Enos leave the Boarding House in a hurry, in civil clothes and with his personal car?" Luke words cold Bo's hope down, "I think someone called Enos, and Enos reached him here. Then, something happened: probably someone hit Enos on purpose after calling him here," Luke shook his head in discomfort, "I'd like to find another explanation, but… I can't."

Daisy stared at the stain on Enos' car, a rounded dark red stain with some smears parting from it; she visualized Enos' bloody hand as he tried to stand up before to fall down, being the rounded stain his palm and the smears his fingers tracing his falling down. Overwhelmed by that terrific vision, Daisy burst out crying.

* * *

><p><em>ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER<em>

"Maybe he's a criminal. Gunshot wound, uh? Maybe he's part of a gang. There are too much gangs in Atlanta, lately."

Nurse Emily O'Neill moved her eyes from her nursing reports to her colleague Dolly, "I don't think it's a criminal, Dolly. Maybe I'm wrong, but he doesn't look like a criminal. Too much… clean: no tattoos and no scars of previous gunshots or stabbings; also his hairstyle is too much clean for a gang's member. Anyway, some cops came this morning to get his fingerprints, so, if he's a recorded criminal, we'll know it. No answers from his fingerprints, anyway, otherwise we'd see some cops guarding him, right now."

"Ok, maybe he isn't a recorded criminal but anyway a criminal. I still think he's a member of a gang."

Emily shook her head, annoyed by her colleague's imaginative and offensive suppositions, "He isn't a member of a gang. He's been brought here in Atlanta because of his critical condition, but he hasn't been injured in Atlanta. He was found in…," she looked up at the ceiling trying to remember, "Rockdale County? I don't remember."

"An escaping criminal," Dolly folded her arms, "but his rival gang found him."

Emily stood up and walked away, "You know, I'm annoyed. Maybe he's just a poor guy victim of an armed robbery, and it's why he had no wallet and ID card with him. And probably his family is looking for him, in despair."

Dolly felt the rage in Emily's voice and looked down at the floor, "Sorry… I didn't want to…" She stopped, unsure if openly apologize: everybody knew Emily's son died when he was 26 years old, killed during an armed robbery in New York, where he lived, while he was going back home after working in a pub, late at night, and Emily had to recognized his corpse (marked as John Doe 'cause he had no wallet with him) in the coroner's refrigerated room, some days after his death. Dolly had a deep sigh, "Sorry, you're right. I've been insensitive and disrespectful to that man. I hope his family is going to find him."

Emily smiled sadly, "OK, stop arguing, now," she stared at the man lying unconscious and she carefully took a blood sample for examination from the central venous access catheter, "Doc Hunt said he's going to recover. He nearly died but he's going to survive, though Doc doesn't know when he is going to wake up, maybe tomorrow or maybe next week… or maybe… we can't know it. If his family won't find him, or if cops won't find his family, well, he'll tell us his name when he'll wake up. For his sake, he's still alive, he isn't a corpse unable to talk."

Dolly nodded, "Yeah. I'm curious to know his name and where he comes from: in effect, you're right, he doesn't look like a criminal, and he's also cute. I wonder if he has a girlfriend."

Emily rolled her eyes, smiling "Go to work, Dolly, PLEASE!" She glanced at the dark haired man, _"Are you dreaming of your family, John Doe?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey Enos!"<em>

_Enos turned to the clear voice, the voice he loved so much: Daisy Duke was standing in front of him, and, as many times before, he held his breathe._

_She was beautiful._

_His eyes slid along her long legs, her short shorts, her tight and low-necked blue shirt, and her face._

_Her face: in the sunlight her green hazel eyes were turning into a blue-green shade (he was amazed by her eyes' shade changing in the light), some freckles were visible on her candid and perfect skin, and her brown hair showed a blonde shade. _

_And her smile: so sweet and open._

_He tried to walk to her but he fell face down._

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Sitting at the kitchen's table for dinner, the Dukes were silently praying for Enos, their hands joined in front of their face, their elbows on the table, their head down and their eyes closed.

"Amen."

Uncle Jesse's voice broke the deep silence.

They didn't look at each other but they looked down at their dishes, unable to eat.

"I can't eat, I'm sorry, I'm too much distressed," Bo stood up and walked in the kitchen as a lion in cage, "We tried to follow those tires marks, but…" he shook his head admitting their discomfiture.

Luke had a deep breathe and folded thoughtfully his arms, "Rosco is calling other Counties' Sheriffs to warn them 'bout Enos' missing."

"Or maybe Enos is still in Hazzard, kidnapped or…" Bo stopped, scared by his own words.

Daisy stood up and ran to her bedroom, slamming the door and sinking into her bed; Bo's words and the image of Enos' blood in her mind, she cried hopelessly, her face buried against the pillow.


	3. Suppositions

**SUPPOSITIONS**

_HAZZARD_

The Dukes moved silently inside the kitchen during breakfast; the sunlight entering the window wasn't cheering them up, nothing could cheer them up.

Four days since Enos' missing and no sign of him, yet.

"Daisy…" uncle Jesse rested his hand on Daisy's shoulder, "eat something, please. It's since…" No need to complete his words, uncle Jesse simply squeezed Daisy's shoulder; his unsaid words were like a heavy and dense fog poisoning them.

Daisy stood up and walked to the window, folding her arms and looking outside, waiting for something; waiting for everything could stop that terrific limbo; waiting for everything but also fearing that 'everything', 'cause 'everything' could mean also the thing Daisy, and the Dukes, rejected.

* * *

><p>Rosco was reading Enos' past reports, trying to find any clue about what happened to his deputy; he rubbed his eyes after that long sleepless night, sleepless night after sleepless night alternated to days spent looking for Enos in any spot inside Hazzard County.<p>

Inside Hazzard County… if Enos was still in Hazzard County.

Rosco had a deep sigh, pushing away his most terrific suppositions, but, day after day, his suppositions became darker and darker.

Reports: maybe the Dukes were right. Rosco scratched his head and focused on those reports, but the fax's pesky hoot interrupted his task.

Annoyed by that hoot, he stared at the paper coming out the fax and at its header: _Rockdale County Sheriff Department._

* * *

><p>"Do you think Rosco found something in Enos' records?" Bo glanced at Luke, resting his fork on the dish, unable to eat.<p>

Luke shrugged, "I don't know. We're goin' to the town to find it out."

Daisy turned to them, "Maybe we're goin' to find something helping us to understand what Enos was working on, and so if he was somehow in danger, and what kind of danger."

Their only hope along the last days: if they couldn't find Enos, they could find a possible reason for Enos' missing, maybe a case he was working on, and so a possible culprit.

"If only that day…" Bo shook his head.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

The General Lee stopped in front of Enos' patrol car.

"Hey buddy," Bo came out the car and walked to the patrol car, "are you waiting for people to ticket?"

Luke leaned out of the window, "We are innocent, we weren't running," he glanced at Bo and smiled, "this time."

Enos came out the car, "Hi Bo. Hi Luke. No, no fine for you, this time."

"Before to ticket us, you have to catch us, buddy," Bo patted Enos' shoulder, but his smile faded when he realized Enos wasn't smiling as usual, just a tired smile from him, "Are you OK? Something wrong?"

Enos shook his head and looked down, his lips pressed in his disappointed look, "Just police business," he gently touched his hat's brim, lifting it up a bit.

"Do you need our help? We are friends, you know," Luke came out the car and reached Enos and Bo.

Enos shook his head again, "Police business… I can't talk to you 'bout it. It's really…," he looked around as if someone could hear him and he lowered his voice, "… private."

Bo glanced at Luke and Luke glanced at Bo.

Enos shrugged, "Anyway, nothing to worry 'bout. Thanks for your offer," he smiled.

Bo grinned and patted Enos' back, "OK, but call us if you need some help," then he turned to Luke, "Come on, Mary Beth and Katie are waiting for us."

The cousins walked to The General Lee, ready for their date with Mary Beth and Katie, two pretty twins; Bo turned to Enos before to get into the car, "Hi Enos."

"Hi Bo. Hi Luke. Say hi to uncle Jesse and Daisy," Enos beckoned and smiled, looking at The General Lee leaving.

* * *

><p>"It was nearly one month ago, and Enos didn't talk 'bout it anymore," Luke stood up, "we met him several times, since then, but he didn't look worried, so probably he solved that… police business."<p>

"Yeah… we met him several times, but… not so many times, if you think 'bout it, like if he was really busy. We should have insisted and found out what's goin' on," Bo kept on his self-charge.

"Bo, Luke," uncle Jesse stared at his nephews, "it's pointless to talk about it. IF… IF… IF… Stop it and think of how to find out what's happened to Enos."

"Uncle Jesse is right," Daisy walked closer her cousins, her hands on their shoulders, "Bo, Luke, go to the town and ask Rosco if he found something interesting in Enos' reports."

Bo shook his head in frustration, "Absurd. Rosco not knowing 'bout Enos' job."

Luke folded his arms, "Enos is the only real police officer here, and folks ask Enos for help. He'd do everything to help people."

Daisy nodded and held back her tears, "And, now, WE have to find a way to help him, whatever happened to him."

Luke hugged Daisy, "I promise you, we're goin' to find him."

* * *

><p><em>ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER<em>

"Nobody for him, yet," nurse Dolly glanced at the man lying motionless in the bed, "John Doe is still John Doe."

Nurse Emily gently removed the bandages covering the man's belly, checking the surgical wound and finally dressing it, "It isn't so easy to find his identity. He was found in Rockdale County but we don't know where he comes from; for sure he doesn't come from Rockdale County. For what I heard, nobody knows him in Rockdale County: it's a small County where people know each other."

Dolly handed Emily some new bandages, observing the careful job of the older nurse, "What a wound. The surgical wound is so visible whereas the wound provoked by the bullet is nearly invisible."

Nurse Emily nodded, "Of course, Dolly. Damages of bullets are internal: entry's small hole but big internal damages. Surgeons did a great job, saving his life, though this scar is going to recall him what he faced, for the rest of his life."

"He's still in coma," Dolly folded her arms, "if only he woke up, he'd tell us his name."

"Head injury," Emily covered the man with the blanket, "but he's showing positive signs, and doctors say he's going to wake up. They don't know when, but he's going to wake up."

"I'm curious to know who is and what happened to him," Dolly checked the monitor and registered the man's vital signs in the nursing record.

"Me too, and I hope we aren't going to wait so long."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Rosco's patrol car stopped in front of the farm, its tires creaking because of the abrupt stop.

Hearing the car's tires, the Dukes dashed to the door and came out the farm, staring at Rosco walking to them, a paper in his hand.

"Rosco, did you find something in Enos' reports? Any clue 'bout where he is and what happened to him?" Daisy grabbed his arms, frantically.

"No. I didn't find anything in his reports. But this morning I had this from Rockdale County," Rosco passed uncle Jesse the paper.

Uncle Jesse took the paper from Rosco's hand, "Rockdale County?" he looked in confusion at the Sheriff and then at the paper, reading it, "Man… white… between the age of 25 and 35, brown hair and hazel eyes… Height 6'2"… Weight 200," he glanced at Rosco, his mouth dry, and then he kept on reading, sharing just some fundamental words of the paper with his attentive audience, "head trauma and gunshot wound… Atlanta Medical Center… critical conditions…" his eyes opened wide as he stared at the paper and then at Rosco.

"What's that?" Daisy looked alternatively at uncle Jesse and at Rosco, "What does it mean?"

"The night Enos left the Boarding House a man was found in Rockdale County; he was severely injured because of a gunshot wound and head trauma. He had no ID with him, so Rockdale County's Sheriff couldn't identify him. Paramedics brought him to Atlanta Medical Center."

Silence, the men looking at each other and Daisy hugging uncle Jesse and burying her face against his chest.

"Enos' wallet was in his car," Bo swallowed against the lump in his throat, trying to verbalize the puzzle they were composing in their mind, "Man… white… between the age of 25 and 35, brown hair and hazel eyes. Maybe… that man is Enos."

"What about that man, Rosco?" Luke stared at Rosco, his voice low and his blue eyes fixed in Rosco's ones.

Rosco shook his head, averting his eyes, "I don't know. It isn't a medical bulletin but a dispatch about a man found injured in Rockdale County."

Uncle Jesse held Daisy tight, pondering his words, necessary and obvious words, "Nobody called us from Atlanta Medical Center, and that dispatch means that police officers don't know the man's identity, yet. So… the man is dead…" his arms clasped Daisy, trying to stop her trembling, "… or he is unable to say his name because of his critical conditions. It's why his identity is still unknown to doctors and to police officers."

"Well, we have just one way to find it out: go to Atlanta Medical Center, understand if that man is Enos… and so find out if …" Luke stopped, unable to echo uncle Jesse's rational suppositions about the man's destiny.

The men nodded to Luke's words, silently, while Daisy trembled in uncle Jesse's arms.


	4. Scent of sun

**SCENT OF SUN**

"I don't know what I should hope, uncle Jesse," sitting in the back seat of The General Lee, Daisy rested her head on uncle Jesse's shoulder, "I hope the man found in Rockdale County is Enos, so ending this wait, but at the same time I don't want to think of Enos… that way."

_Head trauma and gunshot wound… Atlanta Medical Center… critical conditions: _the words written in the report from Rockdale County hovered inside The General Lee in its run to Atlanta, brief grant given to Bo and Luke's probation by County Commissioner J.D. Hogg.

Being Enos missing and being Rosco the only lawman left, the Sheriff couldn't leave Hazzard, so he was sending the Dukes to that hard task. The shocking idea of Enos Strate dead or lying unconscious in a distant Hospital was spreading in Hazzard County like fire through dry straw, to the point even Boss and Rosco were temporary forgetting their personal fight and their tricks against the Dukes, sharing now a common priority: if someone hit Enos Strate, Hazzard's deputy and Dukes' best friend, both Hazzard County Police Department and the Dukes were involved, same side, the side facing a loss.

Daisy squeezed Enos' wallet in her hands, recalling Rosco's words, "_if the man in Atlanta Medical Center is Enos, they'll ask you his ID card"_ So strange to see Rosco acting as police officer (Enos was usually the only one to do his duty and to follow police's procedures), but that situation was so strange that Hazzard County was turning upside down, and, for sure, Boss, Rosco and the Dukes moving in the same direction, driven by a common goal, was pretty rare.

Along the last days Daisy was realizing how much people (Boss, Rosco, folks… everybody) liked Enos and cared of him; she already knew Hazzard's people respected and liked Enos, of course, but along the last days she was understanding that affection's deepness.

Boss, Rosco, folks… everybody… and especially her family: she glanced at uncle Jesse's tight features by her side and at her cousins' in the front seat, Bo silently driving The General Lee and Luke staring at the road.

Boss, Rosco, folks… everybody… her family… and especially her: Daisy opened Enos' wallet and took off his ID card, staring at the small picture of him; inside his wallet also some pictures of her (a picture of her near a horse, her with him at the airport before his leaving, her at the Boar's Nest, her near a racing car during her fleeting career as racer). Daisy wondered how many pictures of her Enos cherished in his apartment beside the pictures in his wallet, maybe larger versions of the pictures she was looking at.

Her image in those pictures became blurred and she buried her face against uncle Jesse's shoulder, sobbing desperately, while uncle Jesse hugged her.

"What if Enos is dead? I can't live without him, uncle Jesse, I can't stand the idea I won't see him ever again. Why am I realizing how much I need him just now?" through her sobs, she managed to let go what lay heavy on her heart.

Uncle Jesse held her close while Bo and Luke remained silent.

* * *

><p>Atlanta Medical Center's windows reflected the morning light but, despite the sunlight sparking on it, the high building looked like a cold and metallic object absorbing the sunlight and transforming it into an artificial light.<p>

The Dukes came out The General Lee, indifferent to people looking at them because of their strange car, their coming out from its windows and their country look. Before to enter the building they looked at each other, sharing the same hope and fear.

Inside the hall, the same cold they felt outside: the tidy and shiny floor reflected the artificial light, and everything looked anonymous and professional, everything too much Hospital-like.

They walked to the counter where a nurse was ready to answer any kind of question from visitors. Just the counter between them and the nurse, they looked at each other, sharing again their hope and fear.

"Please, Madam," uncle Jesse cleared his voice, trying to ease the pesky sense of dryness in his throat, "four days ago a man was brought here from Rockdale County. He was severely injured," he glanced at his hands resting on the counter, his throat more and more dry and his hands more and more sweaty, "but he hasn't been identified, yet. That man could be a friend of us, Madam."

The nurse opened her eyes wide and nodded, "OK, wait a minute, please," she walked to the telephone hanging on the wall behind the counter and she grabbed the receiver, talking about "John Doe's friends" with her soft voice and nodding while she listened to the voice at the other side of the receiver. When she came back to the counter she stared at the Dukes, her eyes lingering on any of them, "We're going to take you to the man brought here four days ago. He hasn't been identified, yet, and we were waiting for someone who could identify him."

The Dukes glanced at each other, nobody being able to ask the nurse what was killing them: was the man still alive or were someone going to take them to the coroner's refrigerated room?

At the opposite side of the hall, the elevator's doors opened and a nurse came out, walking to them; the Dukes turned to her, trying to read into her features.

The nurse stood in front of them, "Come with me, please," then she turned round and walked to the elevator without waiting for any answer from them, so the Dukes simply followed her along the hall and finally inside the elevator. When she pushed the button with the number "5" on it, they held their breath, their mind running in unison: what was at the 5th floor? For sure not the coroner's refrigerating room, hope getting stronger in their heart, unless the nurse was taking them to a doctor who was going to explain them how John Doe died and finally to take them to the place they feared the most.

"Madam," uncle Jesse took his hat off, "please…"

"Doc Hunt is waiting for you. He's going to explain you what's happened to the man brought here four days ago," she stared at them, studying them, "then you're going to see him."

Daisy took Enos' wallet off her jeans' pocket, opening it with her trembling hands and giving Enos' ID card to the nurse, "This is our friend's ID."

The nurse took the card and watched it, "The picture is really small, but your friend looks like John Doe… I mean, the man brought here four days ago… we call him John Doe. In this picture he looks younger and his hair are a bit longer. Yeah, it could be, but…" she handed Daisy the card, "…we can't be sure of it until you see him. You are the only ones who can identify him."

Daisy nodded and slipped Enos' wallet into her pocket, her hope and fear not solved, yet. When they finally came out the elevator, a smell of disinfectant and soap assailed her, she stopped and grabbed Luke's arm, "Luke, I'm feeling sick."

Luke turned to her and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, "Calm, Daisy. Stay calm. Come on," he helped her to walk along the corridor heading to Doc Hunt's office.

Though Luke's voice was calm, Daisy felt the gentle trembling in his hand: they were fighting against their worst fear but they couldn't run away.

When the nurse opened the office's door, Doc Hunt was waiting for them behind his desk; he stood up, "Please, sit down," and he showed them the chairs in front of his desk.

* * *

><p>Alone in the corridor in front of the door of Doc Hunt's office, nurse Emily had a deep sigh: looking at that family she felt her heart cracking, her mind driven to another Hospital and to a different final. John Doe was alive, though still in coma, but he was going to recover; he wasn't a corpse like his son.<p>

Washing away her painful memories, Emily repeated in her mind the name of the man those people were looking for: Enos Strate. The man in the small picture looked like John Doe, Emily was pretty sure he was John Doe, but she decided it was better not to delude them, 'cause pictures sometimes can betray people's eyes.

She came closer the window and looked at the city lighted by the sun.

After 10 minutes the door of Doc Hunt's office opened.

Emily turned to the door and looked at Doc Hunt, nodding at his silent order, then she focused on the men and the woman in front of her: in their eyes shock mixed with pain but also relief.

"OK, now I'm going to take you to the I.C.U. Before to go, I want to warn you that the I.C.U. is a department pretty different from any other department. We take care of people in really bad conditions, supporting their vital functions, and it means tubes, monitors, machines, and so on. It's pretty normal to us, but I understand it may shock someone who enters the I.C.U. for the first time," she smiled, a soft smile in order to support them, "Doc Hunt already told you your friend is safe, though still in coma, but he's going to wake up. We don't know when but he's showing positive signals, so we have just to wait and help him."

Emily's eyes lingered on any of them: the older man had blue eyes and a white beard, he had a red hat in his right hand and he was circling the woman's shoulders with his left arm; the woman was in her late twenties, hazel green eyes, long and curly hair, blue shirt, long legs wrapped in blue jeans, high-heeled brown boots; one of the young men had dark and curly hair, blue piercing eyes, blue checkered shirt, blue jeans and brown boots; the younger man had blond and curly hair, blue eyes (different shade from the older one), yellow shirt, blue jeans and brown boots.

"Come on," she turned round and she walked to the I.C.U. When they entered the department, she felt the men and the woman behind her slowing down a bit, probably holding their breath and looking at the wide space divided in several rooms by thin walls, in any room a patient: common reaction of people entering for the first time in the I.C.U.

She walked to John Doe's room and she turned to them, "This is the man we call John Doe," she stood aside and she let them see the man lying unconscious in the bed, observing their reaction.

The woman opened her eyes and mouth wide, her hands covering her mouth, "Enos! Oh my God! Enos!" She turned to the older man, "Uncle Jesse, he's Enos!" then she walked closer the bed and she knelt down, her right hand gently caressing the man's cheek while tears started to flow from her eyes, "Oh Enos! What's happened to you?"

The bearded man rested his right hand, his hat still in it, on his chest, his lips gently moving in what Emily read as a whispered prayer.

The brown-haired man remained still, his arms folded while he took a deep breath: perfect self-control of his gestures whereas his eyes showed all his pain and shock.

The blond man scratched his nape in frustration, walking around the bed like a lion in a cage, unable to control his emotions. He pointed at the man lying in the bed and he stared at the bearded man and at the brown-haired man, "Whosoever did it to Enos will pay for it! We have to find out what happened and who hurt him. Nobody can hurt someone like Enos, our best friend and Hazzard's best deputy ever!"

The older man nodded, "We're going to find whomsoever did it to Enos, Bo, but now, please, keep calm. When Enos will wake up, he'll tell us what happened to him."

The brown-haired man nodded too, "Uncle Jesse is right, Bo. The most important thing, now, is to know Enos is alive. We have found him and we're going to stay by his side 'til he'll wake up," he walked closer the bed and knelt near the young woman who was sobbing into the blankets, "Daisy, Enos is going to wake up. We have found him, so, please, stop crying and talk to him, maybe he can hear you," he turned to Emily, "Can he hear us?"

* * *

><p><em>Scent of soap and lavender, scent of Daisy's skin: scent of sun.<em>

"_Can he hear us?"_

_Enos turned to Luke's voice, his hand on his eyes to screen the sunlight, "Hi Luke! I'm here!"_

"_Hey buddy, how are you?" Luke walked near Enos and sat down by his side, on the grass._

_Lying on the grass, Enos looked at the tree above his head and at the sun playing through its branches, "Daisy is still sleeping."_

_Daisy's head on his shoulder while she slept by his side, Enos had a deep breath and smelled every scent around him. _

_He was happy._

* * *

><p>Emily shook her head, "We don't know what they feel or hear during coma, exactly, but … yeah… maybe he can hear you. Talk to him, I'm going to leave you alone for a while," she silently walked away, keeping her eyes on them from the counter placed in the middle of the wide space (strategic position in order to see every patient inside the I.C.U.).<p>

She took John Doe's nursing record: he wasn't John Doe anymore, but Enos Strate, now, Hazzard's deputy.


	5. Tears

**TEARS**

Luke dialed the Hazzard Police Department's telephone number, waiting for Rosco's answer, while Bo rested against the wall of the waiting room, his left arm up and his hand against the wall.

"Rosco," Luke glanced at Bo, "this is Luke. The man is Enos. He's here, in the I.C.U., unconscious but alive."

Bo scratched his nape with his right hand and had a deep sigh.

"He's goin' to recover, don't worry, but actually he can't talk to us," Luke shook his head, "We can just wait."

Bo folded his arms and rested his back against the wall.

"I don't know when he'll wake up, nobody knows it, but doctors are optimistic 'bout it," the receiver pressed against his ear, Luke nodded at Rosco's words while Bo moved away from the wall and walked to the near couch, sinking into it.

"Bye Rosco," Luke put the receiver down and turned round, folding his arms and resting his back against the wall, mimicking Bo's previous posture, "Enos is alive, and this is the most important thing, Bo."

Bo stared at Luke, "Alive but…," he shook his head and averted his eyes from Luke, "… lying unconscious in that bed… those tubes, and monitors and… everything is so scaring."

Luke had a deep sigh and reached Bo on the couch, "This is exactly what that nurse told us, Bo. It's scaring but for sure less scaring than… you know what."

"You're right. When we arrived here we thought Enos could be dead, so we should be happy he's still alive, though seeing him that way scared us." Unable to remain still, Bo stood up and walked to the window of the small and empty waiting room, "This is a so beautiful day, outside, but I can't enjoy the sun now. I'm worried," he turned to Luke, "Daisy… I've never seen her that way. She was trembling like a leaf and she couldn't stop crying, and I don't know if I'm more saddened for Enos or for Daisy."

"Daisy is really strong, and she's perfectly able to react. Uncle Jesse is by her side, don't worry," he smiled, "and, if there's a person who could help Enos to wake up, that person would be Daisy."

Bo nodded and walked to the telephone hanging to the wall, "After Rosco, we should warn Cooter too. He's waiting for our call," he dialed Cooter's telephone number, waiting for his friend's answer.

Sitting on the couch, Luke folded his arms and stared at the ceiling, listening to Bo repeating his previous dialogue: "Yeah Cooter, the man is Enos, he's alive but still unconscious"… "He's in the I.C.U., and now Daisy and uncle Jesse are with him, whereas Luke and I are in the waiting room. Just two people for any patient are allowed to stay inside the I.C.U." … "Doctors say he's goin' to wake up but they don't know when" … "Bye Cooter."

Bo put the receiver down and reached Luke, sinking into the black leather couch.

They both had a deep sigh.

* * *

><p>Uncle Jesse's hand squeezed Daisy's shoulder.<p>

Daisy wiped away the tears on her face and smiled, looking at her uncle, "Now I'm feeling better, uncle Jesse, don't worry. I cried both for the pain to see Enos this way but also for the relief to know he's alive. He'll wake up, and I'll be by his side when it'll happen."

Uncle Jesse nodded and smiled.

Daisy's right hand reached Enos' one and grabbed it, squeezing it, while her left hand caressed his hair, "Hey sugar, you aren't alone. Can you hear me?"

Sitting on their chairs, Daisy and uncle Jesse remained quiet; in the little room just the beeps of the monitor checking Enos' vital functions and the noise of the ventilator pumping air inside his lungs. Daisy had a deep sigh and broke that anomalous silence and those unnatural noises, "That nurse was right 'bout how… strange and scaring this department is."

'That nurse', evoked by Daisy, came closer Enos' bed, "Sorry for disturbing you, but I need your friend's ID card," she smiled and she stretched her arm out to take the card Daisy was giving her, "Thanks."

Daisy glanced at the name on the nurse's uniform and, when the nurse turned round to go back to the counter, she called her, "Nurse Emily, thanks for everything you're doin' for Enos," she stretched her arm out and she shook hands with the nurse, "My name is Daisy Duke, this is my uncle Jesse Duke, and the boys with us are Luke and Bo Duke, my cousins."

Nurse Emily smiled and nodded, "I'm just doin' my job."

After nurse Emily's leaving, Daisy sat down again on her chair and her hands reached Enos, restoring their previous position, "Can you hear me, sugar?"

* * *

><p><em>Enos opened his eyes and looked at Daisy.<em>

_Lying on the grass, his head on her lap while she was sitting with her back against the tree, he smiled: she was looking at him, her head bent and her hair like a sort of halo, the sun turning the brown into a blonde shade._

"_Can you hear me, sugar?" Her right hand reached his one and squeezed it while her left hand caressed his hair and then slid from his hair to his cheek and finally to his shoulder._

"_I love you so much, Enos. Do you know it?"_

_Her words sounded muffled and distant, but Enos caught the sense in it. _

_His heart filled of warmth and happiness, he closed his eyes and he squeezed her hand._

_Tears of joy flowed from his eyes._

* * *

><p>Daisy's hand slid from Enos' hair to his cheek and finally to his shoulder, squeezing it, "I love you so much, Enos. Do you know it?"<p>

When she felt his hand gently squeezing her one, just an allusion of squeeze but anyway a squeeze, Daisy's heart skipped a beat. She turned to uncle Jesse, "Uncle Jesse, he's squeezing my hand," then she turned to Enos, "Enos! Please, open your eyes!"

When tears flowed from Enos' eyes, few and fleeting tears but tears, Daisy burst out crying, both of pain and joy.

* * *

><p>Emily looked at Daisy and Jesse Duke, realizing that something was going on. She rested the nursing record and the ID card of the man on the counter and walked to the bed.<p>

The young woman looked at her, both with pain and hope, "He squeezed my hand, I felt it and…" she glanced at the man and then again at the nurse, "he's crying."

Emily checked the monitors and smiled, "Positive signs."

Jesse Duke circled her niece's shoulders with his right arm and stared at Emily, "Is he suffering?"

Emily shook her head, "I don't think he is suffering, don't worry. Keep on talking to him."

From the counter, Emily kept on observing the young woman and her uncle: Daisy Duke caressed the unconscious man and talked to him, smiling as if the man could see her, while the woman's uncle circled her shoulders with his arm.

* * *

><p>Bo and Luke stood up and walked to uncle Jesse and Daisy entering the waiting room, reading their features: emotional exhaustion after a roller-coaster of sadness and joy.<p>

"Visiting time is over," Daisy smiled, "but Enos…" her eyes sparked, "… he squeezed my hand. The nurse said it's a really positive sign." She preferred to avoid the part about Enos' tears.

"Oh great!" Bo patted Luke's shoulder and smiled, relieved.

"I guess ol' Enos is going to wake up very soon with you by his side," Luke smiled and folded his arms, regaining his self control and his knowing attitude.

"Did you call Rosco and Cooter? They're waiting for our call": uncle Jesse's pragmatism.

"Of course uncle Jesse," Bo pointed at the phone hanging on the wall, "Rosco for sure told it to Boss, and Boss to Lulu, and… now I think everybody in Hazzard knows about Enos."

They had a brief laugh, washing away all the worrisome and fears they shared when they entered the Hospital just some hours before.

"OK, time to go back to Hazzard," Luke walked to the door.

Walking along the corridor that brought them there and entering the elevator, they realized how much different everything looked like: the corridor looked less dark, the elevator less cold and metallic, the hall less anonymous and professional.

Outside, the sun was still sparking on the building but now the light looked less metallic and warmer.

They walked to The General Lee and they came in, indifferent to people looking at their strange way to enter the car.

Finally inside the car, Daisy sank into the back seat and had a deep breath, "I feel like if I died and then come back to life. If I think of our way to the Hospital and what was goin' on in our mind," she shook her head, "I'm glad we've found Enos, alive, though I'm still shocked 'bout him lying in that bed, but he's goin' to recover and it's the only important thing, now."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "Maybe Enos will need some time to wake up, but we'll come here every day 'til his recover, and we'll help him when he'll come back to Hazzard."

"And we'll find whomsoever did it to him," Bo clasped his hands around the wheel.

"Especially 'cause whosoever did it to Enos can decide to bring to an end his purpose," Luke dampened everybody's enthusiasm, but nobody could deny the possible and terrific truth in his words.

"We'll protect Enos," Bo glanced at Luke, "when he'll wake up we'll know what happened and so who is the culprit, how to find him (or them) and how to stop any possible harm."

Luke, Daisy and uncle Jesse nodded.

* * *

><p>The news about Enos ran in the town quicker than The General Lee; everybody was talking about it with a mix of shock, sadness and relief, sharing the Dukes' emotions.<p>

Rosco was moving inside the Police Department in a sort of circular dance, Flash in his arms, tuning a repeated "Dipstick is back" alternated to his characteristic laugh.

From time to time Boss came out his office, his "Stop it, Rosco, and go work! I'm not paying you for dancing with a dog" harsh like usual, though everybody who knew Boss pretty well could catch a pitch of relief in his voice.

Everybody shared the same relief, except…

… the man gritted his teeth: he was pretty sure Enos Strate was dead when he left his body in Rockdale County. He shook his head and he walked away from the crowd chatting in front of the Police Department: it didn't matter, Enos Strate probably learned the lesson, and he could teach the deputy a new lesson if it was necessary, the final lesson. The deputy couldn't recognize him 'cause that night he wore a ski mask, and people couldn't suspect him 'cause he was a simple and honest citizen: he just had to act like usual.


	6. A cream-colored room

**A CREAM-COLORED ROOM **

For the seventh time the Dukes parked in front of the Atlanta Medical Center.

Daisy came out The General Lee and ran to the entrance of the building; before to enter, she turned round, "Hurry up uncle Jesse, Bo, Luke!"

She couldn't wait any more, her heart bursting in her chest since the morning, when the phone rang at the farm.

* * *

><p><em>EARLY IN THE MORNING<em>

When the phone rang at the farm, early in the morning, everybody was sitting at the kitchen's table for breakfast, ready for a new day, a copy of the previous days. Bo and Luke were going to stay at the farm for doing the housework and then they were going to drive to the town in order to find out something about what happened to Enos, whereas uncle Jesse and Daisy were going to visit Enos at the Atlanta Medical Center: since only two visitors for any patient were allowed inside the I.C.U., and since Daisy was unable to part from Enos during the visiting time and she needed uncle Jesse by her side, Bo and Luke preferred to be useful at the farm (doing what uncle Jesse and Daisy usually did) and to keep on their quest instead of walking around in a waiting room.

The Dukes instinctively looked at the phone and then at each other.

Uncle Jesse nodded at the silent request of his nephews and niece, he stood up and walked to the phone, "This is Jesse Duke speaking." His shoulders stiffened as he casted a glance to the kitchen, "Nurse Emily!"

Daisy dashed to uncle Jesse; by his side, she rested her hands on his shoulders, her knuckles turning pale in her grasping him, and she stared at him with her eyes wide open both because of fear and hope.

Bo and Luke glanced at each other before to stand up and walk to uncle Jesse and Daisy.

Uncle Jesse nodded, "Thanks nurse Emily. We're comin'," he put the receiver down and he looked at his nephews and niece, a smile of happiness, relief and surprise forming on his face, "Enos is finally awake. And he's fine."

Daisy's mix of fear and hope turned into tears of joy; she put her hands on her mouth, choking a whisper of relief, and then she hugged uncle Jesse.

Bo and Luke had a deep sigh and smiled, gently patting Daisy's shoulders.

After hugging each other, the Dukes came out the farm and reached The General Lee.

* * *

><p>Uncle Jesse came out The General Lee, helped by Bo and Luke while a little crowd of children stared at the strange orange car, for sure more attractive than uncle Jesse's anonymous white truck parked there every past day along that week.<p>

"Come on," Daisy impatiently entered the Atlanta Medical Center, she crossed the tidy hall and she reached the elevator. When the doors opened, after a time during hours in her mind, she dashed in, followed by uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke.

"What did nurse Emily tell you, exactly?" again, the same question from Daisy.

"She simply said Enos has woken up and he is fine. Nothing else," again, the same answer from uncle Jesse.

Finally out the elevator, the Dukes reached the I.C.U. entrance, where nurse Emily stopped them, "Your friend isn't here anymore. Since he has woken up, he's in another room, more…" she smiled, "… peaceful and normal. Come with me." She walked along a different corridor, several doors opening on it, and she stopped in front of the door 505, "You can stay with him," her eyes lingered on any of them, "you all. If he's still sleeping, don't worry, he's going to wake up soon." She opened the door, letting the Dukes enter in a sunny and clear room, everything cream-colored: blankets, table, chairs and couch.

Cuddled up under the blankets, Enos was sleeping peacefully, no more the monitor's beeps and the ventilator's noise around him, just a drip-feed recalling them it was a Hospital.

When the door closed, finally alone in the room the Dukes sat down and watched silently at Enos; nurse Emily was right: he was sleeping, his fetal position and then his turning on his back with a deep breath so different from the scaring and unnatural stillness he showed them when he was in the I.C.U.

Daisy moved from her chair to the bed, sitting by Enos' side and gently caressing his hair.

"Enos," she whispered his name.

Enos' eyelids trembled then he opened his eyes, staring at the Dukes around him. His initial confusion turned into a happy smile, "Hi uncle Jesse, Hi Bo, Hi Luke," his eyes lingered on Daisy and his voice turned shy, "Hi Daisy."

The Dukes had a deep sigh, relaxing: Enos was Enos, no strange consequences because of his head trauma.

"How do you feel, buddy?" An open and sweet smile on his face, Bo sat on the bed and patted Enos' naked shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'm just a bit weak and sleepy, but fine. Thanks," Enos mirrored Bo's smile.

"Yeah, you look fine," Luke smiled too, his arms folded as he stood near the bed.

"We've prayed for you, Enos, and God's answered our prayers, and not just our prayers but also all Hazzard's prayers," uncle Jesse had a happy smile, all the upset of the previous days finally gone.

Despite the joy in it, uncle Jesse's talk recalled everybody how much Enos came close to death, so recalling them how and why Enos was there. A silent agreement passed through the Dukes' eyes while they glanced at each other, and Luke finally expressed the question floating in their mind.

"Enos, what happened?" Luke's smile was gone, now, and in the room the air became rarefied.

Enos looked at the ceiling, thoughtful, "Doc Hunt told me I was found in Rockdale County, severely injured, and then brought here. It seems I stayed in coma for 10 days!"

Luke scratched his head, "Enos, we already know it. I mean… how did it happen?"

"We want to know who hurt you and why." Bo's direct and serious question, while Daisy held her breath.

Enos' eyes slowly moved from the ceiling to Bo's face, "Honestly, I don't know it. I don't remember anything of it."

"What?" Daisy let her breath go, "Nothing?"

"What's the last thing you remember, Enos? It could be useful." Uncle Jesse's pragmatism while Bo stood up and walked to the room's window, disappointed by Enos' answer, his disappointment in his inability to stay still.

Enos stared again at the ceiling, trying to catch his last memory, "I remember those felons kidnapping Boss. When Rosco tried his magic act."

"But… Enos… it was TWO MONTHS AGO!" Bo's incredulity while Luke, Daisy and uncle Jesse looked at each other, expressing the same incredulity and worrisome through their eyes.

"Nothing else, sugar?" Daisy grabbed Enos' hand with hers and she squeezed it, "Nothing?" Enos' hand answered her gentle squeeze and she smiled, trying to relax him.

"Uh… well… I remember a picnic we had… I don't remember where. I was lying on the grass and we were talking; I remember Daisy sleeping." Enos glanced at Daisy and blushed.

Luke opened his eyes wide, "A picnic? You lying on the grass? Yeah, in the past we had a lot of picnics… but not along the last months, and I don't remember you lying on the grass and Daisy sleeping."

The soft red on Enos' cheeks turned into a purple red, "Sorry. Maybe I simply dreamt of it… I feel a bit sleepy and my mind is foggy. I'm really sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Enos. Don't worry 'bout your memory," uncle Jesse smiled, toning down the heavy atmosphere, then he stood up, "I'm goin' to talk with Doc Hunt."

Enos looked at uncle Jesse coming out the door, thoughtfully.

"You know, Enos, everybody in Hazzard is really worried for you. I have never seen Rosco and Boss so upset and sad," Daisy kept uncle Jesse's task on, trying to relax Enos with her smile and her sweet talking.

"Really?" Enos grinned and turned to her, "Boss too?"

"Of course, buddy! Everybody loves you!" Bo washed away his previous disappointment, he sat again on Enos' bed and he smiled as usual.

They started to talk about Hazzard and how things were going during the last days, managing also to find something funny about it, until Enos' talk became more and more sleepy.

When uncle Jesse came back, nurse Emily with him, Enos was sleeping, and visiting time was over.

* * *

><p>"What did Doc Hunt tell you?" Bo helped uncle Jesse to enter The General.<p>

"What about Enos' memory and his bein' so sleepy? Is it normal?" Daisy followed uncle Jesse in the back seat of the car while Bo and Luke sat in the front seat.

"If Enos doesn't remember what happened, how are we going to find out who hurt him and why? We haven't found anything interesting, yet," Luke started the engine and The General left the side of the road, entering Atlanta's traffic.

"Keep calm, now. Doc Hunt says it's pretty normal to have a sort of black out after a head trauma; it's a loss of memory concerning the time before the trauma, and the length of this memory's loss can varies very much. Two months are a lot of time, but Doc Hunt thinks Enos is goin' to recall a lot of things, maybe not everything, but his memory is goin' to improve. But… it's possible that Enos isn't goin' to recall what happened few before the trauma, a permanent black out 'bout it." Uncle Jesse circled Daisy's shoulders with his arm, and his voice turned less serious and more sweet and caring, "When we came here for the first time, 10 days ago, we feared Enos was dead, and we were glad when we knew he was … just… in coma. Now Enos is awake and, despite his memory's loss, he looks fine, so we should be glad of it. Things are goin' better and better."

Luke nodded, his eyes focused on the street, "You're right, uncle Jesse. If Enos can't help us to find out what happened to him, for sure we won't surrender. We'll catch who hurt him, some way or another."

Bo nodded, "Well said, cousin."

"And I'm goin' to cook something good for him in order to help him to recover. He looks pale, poor Enos," Daisy rested her head on uncle Jesse's shoulder, her voice caring.

Bo turned his head to her, smiling, "Woman's task."

Daisy parted from uncle Jesse and stared at Bo, "Hey, it doesn't mean I'm not going to help you to find and catch who hurt Enos. I am perfectly able both to cook and to help you in everything you're planning."

Luke glanced at Daisy through the driving-mirror and smiled at her, "Well said, cousin."

Daisy sank into the back seat and smiled.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>This story is set two months after the TV-show ended (a reference to "Opening night at the Boar's Nest", in this chapter).<strong>**


	7. Room 505

**ROOM 505**

Room 505: Nurse Emily opened the door and entered the room.

"Good morning deputy Strate," she smiled. John Doe, the man her colleague Dolly thought being a criminal when he arrived in the I.C.U., two weeks before, revealed himself being a cop, and now he was 'deputy Strate' for everybody.

The man was looking outside the window, his eyes serious and his features tight; hearing the door opening, he turned to the nurse and smiled, "Good morning, Madam."

She approached the bed with the handcart, syringes and bandages on it, "Time for blood sample examination and for medication."

He had a deep sigh, "Doc Hunt told me I was bleeding to death when I was brought in the E.R., and I needed several blood transfusions, but now it seems you want to get that blood back from me, Madam."

The syringe in her hand after the draw blood, nurse Emily laughed, "Don't worry. You won't die for the lack of this small amount of blood. Come on, let me see the wound." She carefully disinfected the wound and she dressed it, from time to time glancing at him: he avoided any eye contact with her during her procedure, staring at the ceiling, the same serious look she noticed when she entered the room and several other times along the days after his waking up.

"Good," she undressed her gloves and she tried to ease his discomfort, "You are happy to go back home, next week, aren't you?"

"Of course," he nodded, smiling and finally looking at her.

"Your girlfriend is really happy you're recovering so quickly," she walked to the window and she drew the curtains aside, letting the sunlight filling the room. When she turned to him, she noticed he was blushing.

"Daisy…" he looked at the blankets, averting his eyes from her, "… she isn't my girlfriend, but just a close friend."

Emily walked to the handcart, "Really close, since she's visiting you every day and since…" she glanced at him "… she kept on repeating how much she loves you every time she stayed by your side in the I.C.U."

He opened wide his eyes and mouth, staring at her.

Smiling at his surprise, she walked away, leaving the room with her handcart. Along the days that man spent unconscious in the I.C.U. and then finally awake in that room, contiguous and dependent from the I.C.U., Emily came to these conclusions: Daisy Duke loved Enos Strate; the Dukes were close friends, like a family for him; he loved Daisy Duke and he was always shy when she was around him (and now she knew why: he loved Daisy Duke but he thought Daisy Duke didn't love him); he was the kind of man who hides his worrisome and pain behind his smiles and kindness, too proud to show his weakness; he had a childish and candid humor (and the pile of comics his friends brought him was a proof of it), and he had a sweet smile, but he could turn suddenly serious and secretive; and he loved vanilla pudding.

* * *

><p>"How's Enos?" Cooter wiped his greasy hands in a cloth and sat on The General Lee'shood.<p>

"He's fine," Bo rested against the car, his arms folded, "but he doesn't remember anything about the last two months, especially 'bout the night he was injured."

Cooter raised his hat's visor, whistling in surprise and shaking his head, "I guess he's confused and scared, poor Enos."

Luke shook his head, "You guess wrong. He looks calm, too much calm. Probably he hasn't realized what happened to him, yet."

Cooter scratched his head, "Or maybe he doesn't want to show his confusion to you. He woke up in a distant Hospital, after several days in coma, doctors telling him about how close to death he was because of a gunshot wound and a head trauma. He can't be so calm."

Bo nodded, "Enos is naïve but not stupid. I think you're right, Cooter. He's probably trying to remember but he's also scared of what he is goin' to remember."

Luke rested against the Garage's wall, his hands in his jeans' pockets, "And for sure he isn't goin' to share it with us so easily."

Cooter smiled, "Maybe he's goin' to talk to Daisy or uncle Jesse."

Luke shrugged, "I hope so. Keep your eyes open wide and warn us if you notice some stranger 'round or anything you feel strange, anyway."

Cooter grinned, "Don't worry. Enos is safe and sound 'til we keep an eye on him."

Bo patted Cooter's shoulder and smiled, then he got into the General, "Thanks for the car, Cooter."

Luke reached Bo inside the car, "Thanks Cooter. See you."

The General Lee left Cooter's Garage while a truck approached, stopping in front of it.

The man came out the truck and smiled at Cooter, "Hi Cooter, I have some problems with my truck's engine." He glanced at the General Lee going away, "What did the Dukes tell you? How's Enos? The town is so strange without him." Pretending indifference, he listened to Cooter talking about Enos' memory loss.

* * *

><p>"Hi sugar," Daisy entered the room, a wide smile on her face, but her smile almost faded when she noticed Enos' blank eyes as he stared at a comic, half-sitting in his bed, his back resting against several pillows.<p>

Enos moved his eyes from the comic in his hands to Daisy, the previous blankness turning into a calm happiness, "Hi Daisy." He closed the comic and he rested it on the night table, on the top of a pile of several comics.

Daisy recovered her smile, she rested a bag on the room's table and walked to the bed, sitting on it, "Is it funny?"

He opened his eyes in surprise, "Funny?"

She pointed at the comic, "The comic you're reading." She knew he wasn't reading but simply staring at the pages, his mind lost somewhere else, but she preferred to keep on that calming talk, not forcing him into something painful.

He turned his head to the comic and then again to her, "Uh… yeah… funny… though I confess I can't read, lately. I can't center on anything." He glanced at the door, "Where's uncle Jesse?"

Daisy stood up and took the bed tray table, placing it in front of him, "He's talking with Doc Hunt. He talks with Doc Hunt and nurse Emily every day," she walked to the table and took the bag from it, opening it and resting a small pot in front of Enos, "Vanilla pudding. We asked nurse Emily if you can eat something else beside Hospital's food, and it seems you can eat just some pudding, actually. Better than nothing."

Enos grinned, "Vanilla pudding, I love it! For sure better than broth they give me every day, but since my stomach is still upside down I should be content of it." He grabbed the spoon and he started to eat the pudding, slowly but with a great appetite.

"I'm glad you like it, sugar," she caressed his shoulder and she kept on smiling. Her hand slid from his shoulder, covered by the Hospital's thin gown, along his naked arm.

He rested the spoon on the tray table, the pot empty, and he blushed, gently moving away his arm from Daisy's touch, "Thanks for the pudding, Daisy." He stared at the blankets and then he looked into Daisy's eyes, "Daisy, may I ask you…" he shook his head, "it's something nurse Emily told me this morning, but I don't know if…"

"Good morning, Enos!" uncle Jesse came in, "Doc Hunt told me you'll come back home, next week. It's a good news."

"Really?" Daisy looked at uncle Jesse and then she turned to Enos, "I'm so happy 'bout it, sugar," she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and she kissed his cheek. "What are you telling 'bout nurse Emily, Enos?"

"Well… nurse Emily talked to me 'bout my coming back home," Enos smiled and blushed, "that's all."

Daisy and uncle Jesse glanced at each other; uncle Jesse reached the couch near the bed and sank into it, "Don't worry about it, Enos. We know you're still weak and you need time to recover, but you won't be alone. See, I talked with J.D.: he knows you can't go back to work so soon, so you'll have some time to rest, and Cletus will work by your side for awhile, until your full recover."

"Really? Cletus? I'm happy to work with him. We had a lot of fun when we shared the same patrol car," Enos had a brief laugh.

Uncle Jesse nodded, "Yeah, Cletus. Today is his new first day as deputy, so I guess Rosco is goin' to visit you, next days. Moreover, Daisy, the boys and I would be happy to have you at the farm 'til you'll be able to go back to the Boarding House."

Enos shook his head, "There's no need to be so worried for me. I'm fine, really. I can go back to work soon and live at the Boarding House as usual."

Daisy glanced at uncle Jesse, in their eyes no surprise for Enos' words but just their willing to win him over.

"It is Doc Hunt's order, Enos!" uncle Jesse's voice raised a bit, just enough to let Enos feel his authority, "Now, look into my eyes and tell me, honestly, that you're able to live at the Boarding House and to go back to work."

Enos looked into uncle Jesse's eyes and then he averted his look from the older man, "Well… in effect… since I left the I.C.U. I have been just able to reach the bathroom," he pointed at a door in the room, "and it hasn't been easy. I'm barely able to stand on my foot," his voice a whisper in admitting his weakness.

Daisy sighed in relief: having Enos at the farm for awhile and having Cletus by his side after his coming back to work meant he wasn't going to stay alone. The less he stayed alone, the less he risked to meet whoever hurt him.

"Did Rosco, Bo and Luke find out something 'bout what happened to me, exactly?"

Enos' abrupt question surprised both Daisy and uncle Jesse.

"No," uncle Jesse slowly shook his head, "they didn't find anything useful at the Boarding House. Neither in your reports at the Police Department."

Daisy swallowed against the lump in her throat, "Maybe he's someone from your past… like Scanlon," that name made her shiver, "someone you arrested when you were in L.A., maybe he thinks you are dead and now he is far away Hazzard." Her hope. "And in case he's coming back, well, we'll stop him the same way we stopped Scanlon."

"If only I could remember what happened," Enos covered his face with his right hand, "but I don't remember a single thing!"

"Don't worry, for sure you're goin' to remember something useful, so we'll find whoever hurt you." Daisy's hope.

Enos removed his hand from his face and nodded, "I hope so. I really hope so."

"Don't worry sugar, everything will be OK," Daisy wrapped her arms around Enos and she held him close while her worried eyes met uncle Jesse's thoughtful ones.


	8. Home

**HOME**

Enos had a deep sigh and stirred: time to go back home.

He undressed his gown, he dressed his boxers and took his trousers from the bag Daisy brought him; a brief knock at the door and nurse Emily came in, surprising him with just his boxers on.

Blushing furiously, Enos quickly dressed his trousers, "Sorry Madam."

Nurse Emily came closer the bed and rested an envelope on the night table, smiling, "This is your discharge letter."

"Thanks. Thanks for everything you did for me," Enos stood up and shook hand with nurse Emily, "You saved my life."

"You're welcome, it's our job. Bye and good luck."

"Thanks," Enos smiled and stared at nurse Emily leaving. He sat on the bed and he looked at the scar on his belly, his right hand slowly sliding on it, he shook his head and he grabbed his shirt, dressing it and buttoning it up.

He finally put his socks and shoes on, and he waited for his friends in that late afternoon.

* * *

><p>"Hi Enos," Daisy came in, followed by Bo and Luke, "I'm happy to see you in your clothes and no more with just that gown or just a blanket on."<p>

Enos blushed and Daisy laughed.

"Are you ready?" Bo walked to the bed and took the bag on it.

Enos nodded and stood up, "I'm ready."

"Come on, uncle Jesse is waiting for us at the farm," Luke opened the door and waited until everybody left the room, then following them along the corridor heading to the elevator.

They walked silently to the elevator and they finally reached the hall.

Outside the building, Daisy grabbed Enos' hand, "I'm so happy to have you at home, sugar. The first time I entered this building…" she had a brief shiver, "… I prefer to forget 'bout it."

"I don't remember the first time I entered this building," Enos whispered and looked at the Medical Center while Daisy squeezed his hand and Bo and Luke looked at each other.

Bo opened the car's trunk and placed Enos' bag inside, then he helped his friend to get into the car; Luke, already in the car, waited for everybody and started the engine.

Daisy rested her head on Enos' right shoulder and wrapped her left arm around his waist, "How do you feel, honey?"

_She kept on repeating how much she loves you every time she stayed by your side in the I.C.U._

Nurse Emily's words stuck in his mind, Enos turned his head to Daisy, inhaling her hair scent, a scent of soap and lavender; he slowly wrapped his right arm around Daisy's waist and he felt her shivering before she wrapped both arms around his waist. He rested his head on her one and he closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Enos" Bo' voice… "Enos" Luke's voice … "ENOS!" Daisy's voice.<p>

Enos opened his eyes.

The General Lee was already parked in front of the Dukes' farm.

"You fell asleep few after we left Atlanta. Are you OK, sugar?" Daisy gently caressed his nape.

Enos rubbed his eyes and yawned, then he nodded, "I'm fine, thanks." He got out The General with Bo and Luke's help while Daisy opened the trunk, "There's no need I stay here, really. I appreciate your offer, but…"

Daisy walked past Enos, his bag in her hand, "We have already talked 'bout it, honey. And we have already decided you're goin' to stay at the farm for awhile."

Enos smiled, "OK."

Entering the kitchen he inhaled the soup's scent: home.

* * *

><p>Sitting around the table, the Dukes and Enos ate their supper, in the kitchen just the clinking of their spoons.<p>

Luke rested his spoon on his dish and he wiped his mouth; his blue eyes met his family's eyes in a quick and meaningful agreement, he cleared his throat and he finally talked, "Enos, I think it's time to try to understand what happened that night."

Enos rested his spoon, mirroring Luke's action, "You're right… but I don't remember anything."

Bo smiled, "Don't worry. Luke and I have thought a lot 'bout it; we have read your reports at the Police Department and we have gone several times to the place where your car was found, trying to find any possible evidence. Now, I'm goin' to tell you what we have understood, just few things but you can be really useful in analyzing any information, though you don't remember. Listen to me as if it's police business."

Enos nodded.

"That night, you left the Boarding House wearing your civil clothes and with your personal car. We think someone called you and you reached him, or them, in Yellow Creek. We found blood's drops near your car, on the road, and those drops ended near tires' marks: someone hit you and pushed you inside another car, heading to Rockdale County, where you were finally found. We don't know why you left the Boarding House and we have tried to find a possible explanation in your reports: maybe a case you were working on, something involving you very much, some way or another."

Enos stared at Bo, "Did you find something?"

Bo shook his head and had a deep sigh, "Unfortunately, no. Nothing interesting."

Luke rested his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers, "The strangest thing is your wearing your civil clothes. If it had been a case you were working on, you would have left the Boarding House with your patrol car and wearing your uniform…" he shook his head, "… unless it was a trap. If you had felt you were in danger, you would have brought your gun with you and you would have asked for help. If you had felt a possible harm, or if it had been police business, you would have left the Boarding House as cop… unless it was a trick and you thought you were going to meet someone you trust. Maybe someone called you pretending to be someone else."

Enos stared at the dish in front of him, "I think I wasn't planning to meet anybody," he had a deep sigh and shook his head, "It isn't the first time I go to Yellow Creek during the night. Don't laugh, but…" he glanced at the Dukes, "… in Yellow Creek there's a beautiful place where I like to watch the sky."

Daisy opened her eyes wide, "The sky?"

Enos blushed, "It happened several years ago, when I had my first night shift. I was in Yellow Creek and I found a place where the sky and the stars looked so beautiful. Since then I use to go to that place and relax every time I have my night shift, and sometimes also when I'm not on duty, especially during full-moon nights and especially if I can't sleep …" he scratched his nape, "... because of insomnia. I leave the Boarding House and I spend some time in Yellow Creek, watching the sky, before to go back home and sleep. It relaxes me."

Uncle Jesse stoop up and walked to the living room, watching carefully a calendar on the wall, then he walked back to the kitchen and he sat down, "The night you were injured was a full-moon night. So, it means you probably left the Boarding House just to watch the stars in Yellow Creek."

Luke stared at Bo, "It changes everything. We thought Enos left the Boarding House 'cause someone called him but… now everything is different."

Bo nodded, "So, it's possible Enos saw something he shouldn't have seen, and someone tried to kill him in order to shut his mouth forever," he turned to Enos, "don't you think?"

Enos shrugged, "Yeah, it's possible. Maybe that night I witnessed a crime, so someone tried to kill me."

Uncle Jesse caressed his white beard, "Yeah, someone crossing Hazzard and committing a crime here; when he realized someone saw him committing the crime, he tried to kill the witness. You were found in Rockdale County 'cause the criminal was already heading there. He hurt you in Hazzard but he left you in Rockdale County. It could be an answer."

Enos stared at uncle Jesse, "Strange thing. I don't understand why bringing me to Rockdale County whereas he could simply leave me in Yellow Creek," he shook his head, and he thoughtfully pressed his lips, before to keep on talking, "Strange thing. Unless the culprit was in a hurry, so he hurt me in Yellow Creek and he left me far away Hazzard, when he was sure I was dead. But fortunately he was wrong."

They remained silent pondering on any possible explanation, until Enos shook his head, "If I could remember, I'd be more useful," he stood up, "If you don't mind, I'd like to go to sleep, now. I'm feeling sick, sorry."

Daisy stood up and reached him, "Don't worry, Enos. Come on, the guestroom is ready for you." She wrapped both her arms around his left arm and they walked to the guestroom while Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse looked at them.

She opened the guestroom's door and she switched the light on.

Enos walked to the bed, he sat down, he put his shoes off and he lay down.

Sitting by his side, Daisy caressed his cheek, "You are pale. Have some rest and you'll feel better."

Staring at her, he gently grabbed her wrist, "Nurse Emily told me you were always by my side when I stayed in the I.C.U. Thanks, I appreciate what you are doing for me… you, uncle Jesse, the boys, everybody."

"You're welcome, Enos," she bent forward and she kissed his lips, a brief and soft kiss, "Good night and sweet dreams, sugar."

"Good night, Daisy." His eyes followed her until she switched the light off, then he had a deep sigh and he immediately fell asleep.


	9. Dark, silent and dusty

**DARK, SILENT AND DUSTY**

Daisy closed the guestroom's door and walked to the kitchen, "We should have waited 'til tomorrow before to talk to Enos 'bout that night. I hope he isn't goin' to have nightmares because of our talk," she shook her head and she helped uncle Jesse to clear the table.

"We avoided this talk when Enos was in Hospital 'cause he was too weak, Daisy, and we can't avoid it forever," uncle Jesse rested his plate in the sink, then he turned round, staring at Daisy, "We don't want to hurt him, of course; we just want to protect him."

Bo nodded and opened the sink's tap, "Don't forget that whoever hurt Enos could decide to come back, killing him, and we have to stop it before it's too late. But we can't stop it if we don't know exactly what happened that night."

Luke took the washed dishes from Bo's hands, wiping them, dish after dish, "Only Enos can help us to understand what happened, so it's better he starts to remember it as soon as possible, though it's goin' to be painful." He shook his head and sighed, "His habit to go to Yellow Creek to watch the sky has changed our previous suppositions, and now everything is even more confused than before. We need his memory."

Bo closed the tap and wiped his hands, grinning, "Enos really surprised me. Insomnia? I have never thought of Enos having insomnia since this evening. For sure I didn't think of it when he fell asleep after we tied him to a chair and hung him on the door."

Daisy placed the last dish in the cupboard and punched Bo's shoulder, "Bo! Stop teasing Enos. There's nothing to laugh of, now!"

"I'm not laughing of Enos, and I'm not teasing him… uh, well, a tender and friendly teasing, anyway." Bo smiled sweetly, damping Daisy's irritation and showing her it was his attempt to ease their worrisome, "Did Enos ever talk to you 'bout this habit?"

Daisy sat at the kitchen's table, she looked at the ceiling and she intertwined her fingers: an old memory slowly surfaced to her mind.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

"Hey Enos, why are you so nervous?" She walked to Enos playing her most sexy walk and her most skittish tone, her way to block him and to give Bo and Luke the time to succeed in their plan.

His hand already on the patrol car's door, Enos turned to her, "Police business, Daisy. I have to go, now. Sorry."

"You work too much, sugar," she reached him and she gently rested her right hand on his left shoulder. She bent her head toward her right shoulder and she let her hand slide on his chest, her voice more and more naughty, "You should have a break, from time to time. May I help you to relax, sugar? Just ask. What do you want me to do for you?" her right forefinger traced a circle on his chest, around his right nipple; when she felt him shivering under his shirt, she held back an amused laugh.

"If you only knew, Daisy," a whisper, then his voice turned nervous, "THE STARS! I mean… the sky! I like to watch the sky, at night, in order to relax. There's a beautiful place in Yellow Creek where you can watch the sky. I want to watch the sky… yeah… the sky," he had a brief laugh, Enos-style, and he finally had a deep sigh, relaxing.

Curiosity and surprise pushed away the character she created along the years in order to distract men, she came back to her genuine self and she stared at Enos, her voice now friendly and a genuine smile on her face, "Do you like to watch the sky, Enos?" She suddenly recalled her task and 'the sexy Daisy Duke' was still back, her sweet tone turning again into her coquettish one, "Are you inviting me to watch the sky with you, at night, Enos? Just me, you, and the starry sky above us, so romantic!" Her forefinger slid from his chest up to his neck and finally to his chin.

He opened his mouth wide and he blushed furiously, in his mind the image of him and Daisy in a romantic date at Yellow Creek, at night, just the starry sky above them.

Rosco's voice erupted from the C.B. "ENOS! YOU, DIPSTICK! That guy has escaped from prison! Hurry up or Boss will fire you!"

Daisy smiled, her task was over.

Enos opened the patrol car's door and get in, "Bye Daisy. Say hi to uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke," he started the engine and he drove away, his car speeding up and pulling down the near fence.

Looking at the car pulling down the fence, Daisy burst out laughing.

As usual after succeeding in her diverting play, Daisy felt a mix of contrasting emotions: vanity, funny and sense of guilty. In effect, when she used her charm on men, she had no sense of guilty except when Enos was involved: she couldn't help but feeling guilty in her taking advantage of someone so genuine and naïve, whereas other men didn't deserve her sense of guilty, especially when they looked at her as a prey. And year after year, that sense of guilty became stronger and stronger, pushing her to face the real meaning of it.

* * *

><p>Daisy had a deep sigh, "He talked to me 'bout this habit, yeah. Long time ago, and just one time. I forgot 'bout it 'til now."<p>

"Did he invite you to watch the sky with him? Enos is such a romantic guy," Bo grinned and looked at Luke, "I also like to invite girls to watch the sky with me."

Luke folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Watching the sky isn't your first goal, Bo."

Bo shrugged, "Neither of girls I date, I guess, since nobody ever regretted to come with me to a peaceful place, a perfect place for something else beside watching the sky. I think Enos is the only guy in Hazzard who invites a girl to – literally - watch the sky with him."

"BO!" Daisy stood up, "Enos has never invited me to watch the sky with him, literally…" she blushed, "… or not! He told me he liked to relax watching the sky, at night, in Yellow Creek." Recalling why and how Enos talked to her about it, the reason of her blushing changed from embarrass because of Bo's allusions to shame because of her old teasing attitude to Enos.

Uncle Jesse coughed and cleared his voice, smiling, then he turned serious, "It's time to go to sleep, now."

Luke nodded, "Tomorrow will be a long day. We're goin' to bring Enos to the town… and then to Yellow Creek. Everything can be helpful in order to wake his memory up."

Daisy shook her head, "Are you sure that…"

"Daisy, please, don't be so overprotective on him." Luke stared at her, his blue eyes into her green-hazel ones, "We care for Enos as much as you, and we don't want to hurt him. Don't worry."

Daisy folded her arms and looked at the floor, nodding and avoiding any further discussion. No, they didn't care for Enos as much as her, but probably they didn't know it: when she confessed her love to Enos, at the Hospital, only uncle Jesse was listening to her, while Bo and Luke have always heard words like _"I have a genuine affection for Enos"_ and "_I can't live without him, uncle Jesse, I can't stand the idea I won't see him ever again. Why am I realizing how much I need him just now?" _from her_, _words meaning everything or nothing at all.

Only uncle Jesse knew her true feelings. She glanced at him and he answered her silent call for help; he came closer her and rested his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it and looking into her eyes, then he left the kitchen, heading to his bedroom.

The Dukes reached their bedrooms and the farm turned dark and silent.

* * *

><p><em>Dark. Silent. Dusty.<em>

_Enos walked along the long and dark corridor, his right hand on the rough wall, his only way to not get lost; he couldn't see anything, so his hand on the wall was his only guide._

_There was a soft light at the end of the corridor, a distant door with a soft light filtering from it._

_Behind him just darkness, so he had to reach that door: if light filtered from the door, it meant someone was there._

_The wooden floor creaked under his feet._

_Dust. He stopped and rubbed his eyes with his left hand, his right hand still on the wall. _

_Step by step, he finally arrived in front of the door, some light filtering from it, but not enough light to win the darkness around him._

_His heart was beating furiously in his chest while he wondered what was waiting for him at the other side of the door._

_A voice, a woman' voice._

_He slowly opened the door and the light blinded him; he covered his eyes with his right hand and he had a step back, taking refuge in the previous darkness._

_The woman followed him in the darkness, she grabbed him and she buried her face against his chest. She sobbed and rubbed her face against his chest, her tears dampening his shirt, warm liquid from her eyes to his skin through his shirt._

_He didn't like that feeling, it was scaring._

_He freed himself from her grasp and he turned round, just darkness in front of him._

_He tried to walk away but he fell face down._

* * *

><p>Enos fell face down.<p>

"Ouch" he rolled on his back and he opened his eyes, trying to get used to darkness.

The sudden light blinded him, so he protected his eyes with his right hand.

Where was that woman?

His heart was beating furiously in his chest while he tried to stand up and walk away from that… creature.

"Enos!" Luke knelt by his side, his hand sustaining Enos' nape, "Are you OK?"

"Stop crying," Enos looked at the room and at the faces around him, "you are scaring me." The Dukes' farm slowly formed around him, taking the place of the dark corridor, while Bo, Luke, uncle Jesse and Daisy took the place of the crying woman; reality took the place of his nightmare. "Ding dang, I had a nightmare. Sorry," he sat up and shook his head, "I was dreaming of a dark corridor and of a woman crying. It was scaring."

"Oh Enos," Daisy wrapped her arms around him and helped him to stand up.

"Please, turn the light off. It's blinding me," he sat on his bed and he covered his eyes with his right hand until the room turned dark.

In that darkness, he let Daisy and uncle Jesse help him to undress his shirt and trousers and to dress his pajamas, his weakness and confusion winning his innate modesty and shyness. He let them help him to slip under the blankets and he finally closed his eyes.


	10. Ceilings

**CEILINGS**

FLASHBACK

Enos slowly opened his eyes; his eyelids were heavy and his mind was foggy as after waking up from a long and deep sleep.

He looked at the ceiling, a white ceiling with neon lights on it: nor the ceiling of the Boarding House neither any other known ceiling.

A strange but regular beep pierced his ears.

He tried to move but it was like being underwater, so he started to panic: he couldn't control any function of his body, especially his breathe.

The strange beep quickened, pacing his heartbeat.

The face of a middle-aged woman with brown short hair and the face of a younger woman with a long blonde pigtail entered his visual field, and their voices superimposed upon those scaring beeps: "Keep calm, deputy Strate;" "Dolly, call Doctor Hunt;" "Don't worry, you're going to feel better."

He stared at a syringe in the hand on the older woman moving across his visual field, then his eyelids suddenly became heavier and heavier and he was sucked into darkness.

When he woke up again, the beeps were gone and his breath was easier.

He relaxed and he looked at the faces around him: beside the two women's faces, now a man with a short and brown beard. Everybody was carefully staring at him, then the man started to talk to him, "I'm Doctor Hunt. This is the Atlanta Medical Center's I.C.U."

Enos listened to him in shock: Atlanta Medical Center… gunshot wound and head trauma… Rockdale County… coma… Dukes…

Dukes: the only calming word among the other ones.

He forced his voice through his hoarse throat, holding back his tears, "The Dukes… call them… please;" he wasn't going burst out crying in front of those strangers (he was a man, and he was a cop), neither in front of the Dukes (he didn't want them to look at him with pity).

He closed his eyes and he fought against his panic while his febrile and confused mind tried to recall what happened to him: blank page.

* * *

><p>"A long corridor and a woman crying," Luke glanced at uncle Jesse, "what does it mean, uncle Jesse?"<p>

"We don't know what Enos felt or heard during coma. Maybe that long and dark corridor is his way to recall the days spent in coma, and the woman crying…" uncle Jesse glanced at Daisy "… is Daisy. When Daisy saw Enos in the I.C.U. for the first time, she cried a lot, and probably Enos felt her crying." He shrugged, "her tears reached him in that long and dark corridor, though he didn't recognize Daisy. But I can't be sure about it."

Daisy bowed her head, avoiding any eye contact and so to be involved in that talk; she controlled her voice and she glanced at Bo, "Pass me the milk, Bo, please."

Bo opened the fridge and gave Daisy the milk's bottle, staring at her while she added the milk in the bowl and stirred the mixture. His eyes followed her walking to the stove and taking a frying pan; he came closer her and he simply rested his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it, "Forget 'bout the Hospital, Daisy. Enos is safe and sound and he's peacefully sleeping in the guestroom."

Daisy shook her head, "I'm not thinking of the Hospital, but just of our breakfast, Bo."

"Are you sure?" Bo took the large frying pan out of Daisy's hand and gave her a smaller one, "This is a lot better." He smiled, a wide and sweet smile, both playful and tender: Bo's smile.

Daisy answered Bo's smile, "You're right. So… please, stop talking 'bout the Hospital, now. I can't stand it, I admit." She averted her eyes from Bo and she focused on cooking, "Enos is goin' to wake up, and he needs a good breakfast. Stop talking 'bout the Hospital, my tears and Enos' coma," her mouth turned dry, "OK?"

* * *

><p>Enos rubbed his eyes and sat up.<p>

The sunlight was filling the room, pushing away his night of nightmares and pesky memories of the Hospital. From the kitchen the sizzling of the breakfast on the stove and a delish scent: pancakes.

He stared at the ceiling and he had a deep sigh, ashamed of how he woke the Dukes up during that first night at the farm, and even more ashamed of how Daisy and uncle Jesse undressed him and helped him to slip under the blankets.

He got up and he walked to the door, he came out the room and entered the bathroom.

He recalled his confusion when he woke up in Hospital, his blank memory and his hope the Dukes could help him: the Dukes always knew what to do, they were always right and they always had a plan. Unfortunately the Dukes didn't know what happened to him, nobody knew it; Rosco visited him, and also Rockdale County's Sheriff, everybody wanted to know what happened to him, but he couldn't be helpful.

Looking at his pale and pitiful image in the mirror, he shook his head and he opened the sink's tap, "Come on Enos, make yourself decent. Since you aren't helpful, at least don't annoy people with your problems. Since the Dukes are so caring and kind, don't let them worry too much for you."

_She kept on repeating how much she loves you every time she stayed by your side in the I.C.U._

He couldn't help but keeping on thinking of nurse Emily's words: did Daisy really use the word 'love'?

* * *

><p>"He's awake," Daisy wiped her hands and walked to the guestroom; "Enos, may I come in?" she knocked at the door and she waited for his answer.<p>

"Yeah."

She opened the door and she entered the room, then she closed the door and rested her back against it, looking at him: seated on his bed, he was putting his shoes on.

"Good morning, Daisy," he smiled.

"Good morning, sugar," she walked to him and she sat by his side. His bed was unmade, like that day at the Boarding House; she pushed away any thought about everything happened since that day and she stared at him: his hair was damp and he was clean-shaven. She gently pinched and then caressed his smooth cheek, smiling, "Pancakes for breakfast."

He nodded and looked at the floor, avoiding her eyes as his smile faded, "Sorry for waking you up that way, Daisy. It is …" he casted a glance in her direction and he looked again at the floor, "… embarrassing."

Daisy shook her head while her hand slid from his cheek to his shoulder, "Don't apologize, Enos. You had a nightmare, and it's absolutely understandable. Bo, Luke, uncle Jesse and I are really glad you are at the farm, so don't apologize for your nightmare."

"I hate to be so useless and troublesome. I really hate it, Daisy."

She opened her mouth and eyes wide, staring at him, "ENOS! How can you say something like that? You have been seriously injured, and you have NOTHING to apologize for."

Enos nodded and remained silent.

Daisy had a deep sigh and she gently touched his chin, turning his face to her, "Enos, look at me, please." His eyes into hers, she kept on talking, "Uncle Jesse, Bo, Luke and I were terrified to know you could be dead. I can't explain what we… what I felt when I saw you for the first time in the I.C.U., Enos. I was shocked, but also happy you were alive. I can't explain how I felt, sugar. Bo, Luke, uncle Jesse… everybody was worried for you and prayed for you. So, STOP telling you are useless and troublesome! We are HAPPY to have you at the farm and to help you."

He looked away, "I know what you are talking 'bout. I couldn't see and hear you, but…," he glanced at her, "… nurse Emily told me 'bout your staying by my side in the I.C.U."

She smiled, "So, you should know how much we care for you, honey."

Enos parted from her touch and stood up, walking to the door, "I know you care for me, Daisy. Thanks." He grinned, "Pancakes, right?"

Daisy caught the shade of sadness and disappointment in his voice, nobody but her could know him so well. She stood up and grabbed his arm, blocking him, "Enos! What's goin' on? You want to talk 'bout the Hospital, don't you? Come on, spit it out." She didn't want to talk about the Hospital, but if it could be helpful to him, she would have stood it.

She waited for his answer, staring at him who looked at the floor and remained silent.

"OK," he finally looked at her, "it's something nurse Emily told me. Daisy, did you ever say you love me while I was in coma? I mean…," he looked away and his voice turned into a whisper, his previous sudden self-confidence and courage fading away, "… I mean… nurse Emily told me you kept on repeating how much you love me while I was in coma," he blushed and shook his head, "never mind. Nurse Emily is probably wrong. Forget about this talk."

Daisy was surprised of his question, and her surprise turned into a sweet smile and a soft blushing, "Oh Enos!" She took his face into her hands, she stood on her tiptoes and she kissed him.

The kiss deepened and their tongues met, their second real kiss beside the one they shared at the lake when she asked him to get married. When their lips parted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and she held him tight, whispering in his ear, "Of course I love you, Enos."

A gentle knock at the door and Bo's voice interrupted them, "Enos, Daisy, are you OK? Breakfast is ready."

Daisy freed Enos from her hug and looked at him, laughing happily at his surprise and confusion. She grabbed his wrist, "Come on," and she turned to the door, speaking up, "Everything's OK, BO!"

His hand in her one, they walked to the kitchen.


	11. Full-moon's light and gunpowder's smell

**FULL-MOON'S LIGHT AND GUNPOWDER'S SMELL**

Enos dressed his jeans' jacket on his blue shirt and walked to the General Lee, his hand in Daisy's one, "Your pancakes are great, Daisy."

"Glad you liked breakfast, Enos," Daisy squeezed his hand and looked at him, a knowing smile between them. She entered the car and waited for him on the back seat.

"You'll see, Enos. Folks are eager to see you," sitting behind the wheel, Bo turned to Enos and smiled, "get ready for tons of hugs and pats, buddy."

Enos grinned, "Wow, I feel like a movie star."

By his side, Daisy laughed and pinched his cheek.

The General Lee left the farm, heading to the town.

* * *

><p>Cooter put his hat off and smiled at the car entering his garage, "Hey, finally!" He observed Enos coming out the car with Bo and Luke's help, a fleeting shadow crossing his face before he showed again his huge smile, "I'm glad you're back, buddy," he patted Enos' shoulder, "you scared us to death, do you know?"<p>

Enos smiled, giving the Garage a nostalgic look, "Thanks Cooter, I'm glad to be back."

Daisy caught the shadow in Cooter's eyes and Cooter's brief glance at her while Enos looked around, and she wasn't surprised of it: since she stayed by Enos' side during his time at the Hospital, she was used to his paleness and his weak look, but Cooter wasn't.

"Hey, Cooter. Wow! What an engine!" Enos walked to a black Javelin inside the garage, its hood up, admiring its engine.

Cooter put his hat on and slipped his hands into his trousers' pockets, a proud and satisfied smile on his face, "That engine is a masterpiece. My last labor." He stared at Enos, Bo and Luke bending on the Javelin's engine, men talking of engines as usual, and keeping his eyes on his friends he lowered his voice, his surprised and worried words now just for Daisy, "Enos is so pale, isn't he? He looks so…" he stopped, thinking of the right word to say.

"Weak. He looks weak," Daisy anticipated Cooter's word, "Yeah, but trust me, now he is a lot better than the first time I saw him in the I.C.U. Now he is a LOT better," she shook her head and had a big sigh, "so I can't complain about his look, but just being happy he is alive. He is goin' to recover, don't worry," she smiled, she squeezed Cooter's arm and she walked to Enos and her cousins, "Do you want to spend the day 'round that engine?"

Luke glanced at her and then again at the engine, he straightened up, moving his hands from his knees to his hips, and he sighed, "Time to go, Enos. Your reports at the Police Department, you remember it, don't you?"

Enos nodded and walked past Luke, "Yeah, my reports, I remember it."

"Hi buddy, see you later," Bo patted Cooter's shoulder and walked outside the Garage.

Soon after they walked outside the Garage, crossing the street and heading to the Police Department, people in Hazzard's square intercepted them, and a murmur bounced from people to people: "Enos Strate is back!"

Just the street to cross from Cooter's Garage to the Police Department, but the longest crossing ever: at the left side of Cooter's Garage, Lulu Hogg dashed out Rhuebottom General Store along with Mr. and Mrs. Rhuebottom, blocking Enos and the Dukes in the middle of the street.

"Enos!" Lulu opened her arms and ran to Enos (though running wasn't the best way to describe her quick and short steps, the quickest walk allowed by her size), "Oh Enos! I'm so glad you're back. J.D. and Rosco told me you were goin' to leave the Hospital, and I was so eager to meet you. How do you feel?"

Daisy held back a laugh at the image of Lulu Hogg hugging Enos, nearly pushing him to the ground, while Enos stiffened and blushed at the strong hug. Enos was taller than Lulu, overhanging her with his shoulders and head; Lulu's head on his chest and her plump arms around his waist, Enos glanced at Daisy and blushed even more, then he looked at Lulu Hogg, his hands gently touching her elbows in his soft attempt to get free of that hug, so showing his famous shyness and his embarrass about human touch, "Thank Mrs Hogg. I'm really happy to be back. I'm OK, thanks."

When Lulu finally let him go, Mr and Mrs Rhuebottom came closer; Mr Rhuebottom talked for both of them, "Glad to see you back, Enos. We have prayed for you and God has answered our prayer."

Enos shook hands with Mr Rhuebottom, "Thanks Mr Rhuebottom, I really appreciate your caring for me."

Before to realize it, Enos was circled by people coming out from the stores all around Hazzard's square and converging on him: someone patted his shoulders (young men's attitude), someone shook hands with him (older men's attitude), someone simply smiled and looked at him (shy women's attitude) and someone hugged him (some younger and bold women, or some older and caring women), in a general echoing of "Glad to see you back. How do you feel?"

Miss Tizdale from the Post Office, Elton from the WHOGG radio, Mary Ellen from the Hazzard's Bank, Mr Ross from the Barber Shop, Mr and Mrs O'Connor from their Paint Supply, Mr Berley from the Hazzard Emporium, Mrs Jones from the Pharmacy, Mr Russell from The Florist Shop, Maybelle from the Hazzard County Telephone Company; various clients from various shops (the ones from the Barber Shops with the shaving soap still on their faces): Mr Winkle, Daisy's last beau Darcy, Clyde the guardian of the Hazzard Sheriff Impound Yard, and many others.

Daisy smiled, both moved by people affection and amused by Enos' total embarrass and shyness in his repeating "I'm OK, thanks. I appreciate your caring for me": he wasn't the kind of man who liked to be the center of people's attention.

* * *

><p>Enos shook hands with him, "Thank you. I appreciate your words. I'm fine."<p>

The man smiled, "You're welcome. Hazzard missed you."

Eyes into eyes: neither suspect nor confusion in Enos Strate's eyes.

He stared at Enos Strate shaking hands with people.

The deputy was tall, muscular, good-looking, polite, sweet and honest, and everybody liked him: enough for hating him. But he hated Enos Strate for something else than his social success and general respect, something more serious.

The man clenched his fists as images of that night surfaced to his mind: he nearly killed the deputy; he looked at him writhing in pain and groaning on the ground, his arms clasped around his belly as he tried to stop the bleeding.

The full-moon lighting the road to Rockdale County (his attempt to muddle the waters), the itching of his ski mask under his nose, the gunpowder's smell: images and feelings of that night.

The man had a deep breath and pushed away those images and feelings, he regained his friendly mask, he glanced at Sheriff Rosco coming out the Police Department and he walked away, "Bye Enos, see you."

* * *

><p>"What's happening here?" Rosco walked down the Hazzard Police Department's stairs and stared at the Dukes standing near the small crowd, "You! Dukes! Are you planning a riot against Hazzard Police Department? I'm goin' to arrest your for …"<p>

"Rosco!" Daisy turned to Rosco, she rested her hands on her hips and stared into his eyes, "We aren't planning any riot! You can't arrest us!"

Rosco came closer them, "I'm goin' to arrest you, anyway. You are guilty of ... of ... yeah, you're guilty of public nuisance."

Enos emerged from the crowd, "Hi Sheriff. It isn't a riot against the Police Department but just a welcome back," he had a brief and shy laugh and kept on talking and smiling, "a noisy welcome back but it isn't a case of public nuisance, anyway. You can't arrest the Dukes, Sheriff. They aren't committing any crime."

"Enos! You! Dipstick! Don't protect them!" Rosco raised his fist as many times before, but his angry look turned into surprise and finally into a happy smile, "Enos! You are back!"

Enos nodded, "I'm back, Sheriff."

Daisy looked at Rosco walking to Enos and circling Enos' shoulders with his arm and then walking back to the Police Department's entrance, she glanced at Bo and Luke and she reflected their smile: no matter how much roughly Rosco acted against Enos, everybody knew the Sheriff liked Enos and cared for him.

The Dukes followed Enos and Rosco inside the building, and the small crowd outside dispersed, everybody spreading the good news: Enos Strate was back and he was fine.


	12. Reports

**REPORTS**

Enos entered the Police Department and grinned, ""Hi Cletus."

Cletus turned to Enos, "Enos! You are finally back! When will you come back to work?"

Enos looked around, "As soon as possible. I have missed everything of it." His eyes lingered on everything in the room, as someone who spent a long time far away.

Daisy stared at Enos, catching his nostalgia; she walked by his side and she grabbed his hand, looking at Cletus, "Enos won't come back to work so soon, Cletus. He needs some rest in order to recover; you know, he left the Hospital only yesterday." When Enos had a brief stiffening by her side, she regretted her words: she hurt his pride talking of his weakness in front of everybody, but she couldn't help but being over-protective on him.

Cletus nodded and smiled, "Take your time to recover, Enos. I'm goin' to wait 'til you'll feel better."

The door of Boss' office slammed open, "Rosco! Cletus!" Boss' eyes moved from Rosco and Cletus to Enos and the Dukes, no surprise in his eyes but his usual frown, "Oh, Enos. You are back home."

Enos nodded, smiling, "Yeah sir, Mr. Hogg. I'm eager to be again a deputy."

Boss took his cigar out of his mouth and gave Enos a sarcastic smile, "I can't say the same. I don't know who is the worst idiot among you, Cletus and Rosco!"

Daisy opened her eyes and mouth wide, then she let her anger go, "BOSS! How can you say something like that? You are… You are such a…"

Boss didn't answer her and walked inside his office, followed by Rosco and Cletus, and the door slammed closed.

Daisy folded her arms, "Boss is such a…"

Enos kept on smiling, "Stop, please. I have a strong respect for Boss, Daisy. I don't agree with a lot of things he does, but I respect him. He is my superior officer, and I'm grateful he hired me as deputy after the Police Academy."

Daisy shook her head and looked at Enos with a mix of anger and sadness, "Oh Enos. You deserved the job, and Boss knew it. Boss didn't give you any gift, and you shouldn't let him treat you like that!"

Enos looked at the floor and shrugged, "I'm used of Boss' words, and I know he isn't so insensitive, after all. Just greedy but not so evil."

Daisy had a deep sigh and smiled sweetly, "Oh sugar. You are so kind."

"Don't forget why we are here," Luke walked to the filing cabinet near Cletus' desk and opened a drawer; he took some files from it and he turned to Enos, "Have a look at your reports, Enos." He rested the files on Cletus' desk and folded his arms, waiting for Enos.

Enos nodded and walked to his desk (now Cletus' desk), he sat down and he glanced at the files on it and then at the Dukes, "OK."

The Dukes stared at Enos reading his reports, silently, file after file; he finally moved his eyes from his reports to the Dukes and he had a deep sigh.

Sitting on Rosco's desk, Bo stood up, walking impatiently to Enos, "Have you found something interesting?"

Enos shook his head, "No," he skimmed through his reports and smiled, "just Hazzard's routine," he had a brief laugh, his style, "Mr Nelson trying again to steal Mr Sawyer's chickens, cows blocking the railroad, Silas' drunk driving again, various brawls at the Boar's Nest," he glanced at the Dukes with a mix of amusement and reproach, "Mrs Russell reporting the loss of her wallet, Mr Simpson complaining 'bout a car destroying his farm's fence…" he had another brief laugh, "… a patrol car. And so on. Nothing out Hazzard's ordinary," he turned serious, his look got lost and his voice turned a whisper, "nothing explaining why someone nearly killed me. Nothing I can remember."

Daisy held her breath and glanced at Bo and Luke, their features tight.

Bo's worried look melted into a sweet and amused smile while he patted Enos' shoulder, "Hazzard's ordinary is extraordinary for any other County," he took a report and laughed, "I can't believe Mr Nelson tried again to steal Mr Sawyer's chickens. That man is really stubborn."

Bo's attempt to distract Enos from his painful thoughts worked; Enos' eyes focused again on the reports and then on Bo, he smiled and stood up, taking the files and placing them at their place inside the filing cabinet, "You are right. Nothing in Hazzard is normal."

Bo glanced at Luke and Daisy, he had a relieved sigh and he folded his arms, smiling, "OK, it's time to leave or Boss and Rosco are goin' to find a new excuse in order to arrest us," he turned to the door of Boss' office, "I wonder what they are plotting, now."

Luke nodded, "OK. Go."

They left the Police Department and they walked to Cooter's Garage.

They knew what their next move was and they didn't like it, but it was necessary.

* * *

><p>Yellow Creek.<p>

Standing in the middle of the road, the Dukes and Enos looked at each other.

"Your car was here, in the middle of the road. Where do you usually park your car when you come here to watch the sky?"

Enos answered Luke's question pointing at a small glade nearby.

"So, something or someone stopped you before you reached the glade." Bo walked along the dusty road and then stopped, turning to Enos, "and here there were tires' marks, and blood's drops between your car and the tires' marks."

Daisy recalled the stain on Enos' car, a rounded dark red stain with some smears parting from it; she thought of his bloody hand as he tried to stand up before to fall down, and her heart raced in her chest.

"Blood…" Enos looked at the road as if he could see his blood still there. He scratched his right eyebrow, "I think it was because of a cut on my eyebrow. I had five stitches because of it." His hand moved from his eyebrow to his nape, "When I woke up in Hospital I had also a bump here, on my nape. I suppose someone hit my head and I fell down, maybe hitting my face against the car and getting the cut on my eyebrow. Someone hit my head, here, and shot me in Rockdale County."

Daisy had a deep breath, pushing away her nausea, she folded her arms around her chest and she looked at the ground.

Luke glanced at Bo and Bo at Luke.

Enos had a deep sigh and kept on talking, "Rockdale County's Sheriff came to the Hospital. We talked, and… I read his reports. When they found me, in Rockdale County, I was unconscious…" his voice turned into a whisper, "… in a large pool of blood. Doc Hunt told me I was bleeding to death because of the gunshot's wound when I was brought in the E.R., and I needed several blood transfusions. Just small drops of blood here and a pool of blood in Rockdale County: it means I bled a lot in Rockdale County; someone get me unconscious here in Hazzard, hitting my head, then I was brought to Rockdale County and shot there."

Daisy covered her face with her right hand and shook her head, walking away from Enos and her cousins.

She reached the river's bank and she sat down. She couldn't stand that talk.

* * *

><p>In Hazzard's square, the surprise and happiness for Enos' coming back wasn't fading, yet, and a small crowd was forming again in front of Cooter's Garage after the Dukes and Enos left.<p>

"I'm happy Enos is fine. He has always been our best deputy," Mr Rhuebottom smiled and hugged his wife, "don't you think?"

Mrs Rhuebottom smiled and nodded, "Enos isn't only our best deputy but also a great guy. He is always so kind when he comes to our store."

"I'm goin' to announce Enos' coming back by radio," Elton looked at the square, "a lot of people already know 'bout it and the good news is goin' to spread very quickly, but I want to take my part in it."

Cooter patted Elton's shoulder, "I think Lulu Hogg and her gossips can spread the news more quickly than your radio."

The men around Cooter laughed.

Mrs Jones rolled her eyes and stopped the men's laughing, "Some men can be more gossiping than women. Anyway… I don't want to ruin your laughing, but Enos doesn't look so fine at all. Trust me, I'm used to sick people who come to my Pharmacy for several reasons, and that guy doesn't look fine. At all."

"Of course he isn't fine. He is lucky to be still alive. Daisy told me 'bout him when he stayed at the Hospital," Darcy shook his head and folded his arms, "poor Enos. But I bet he'll recover very soon with Daisy Duke taking care of him. That woman knows how to cheer a man up, especially Enos Strate."

The men laughed loudly again whereas the women giggled.

"Hey Darcy, if your fiancée hears you talking 'bout Daisy Duke this way, she is goin' to kill you," Clyde blushed; everybody knew he had a crush on Daisy Duke, though he never had the chance of dating her like Enos and Darcy (... and many others).

"Not just Daisy but also Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse. The Dukes are taking care of Enos," Cooter stopped the men's talking about Daisy, being protective on her as an older cousin, as usual.

"And for sure they're goin' to find out what happened to Enos, catching the culprit," Mr O'Connor turned serious and stared at Cooter, "do you know if they have already found something useful?"

Cooter shook his head, "No, but…" he looked at the men and women around him, "keep your eyes open and warn me or the Dukes if you see something suspicious, for example some stranger coming to the town."

"We'll keep our eyes open 'bout any stranger coming here," Mr Russel agreed.

Everybody nodded, and, among them, the culprit nodded too.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you are enjoying it :-)<strong>

**Please review, from time to time. Thanks!**


	13. Water's gurgling and voices

**WATER'S GURGLING AND VOICES**

"Hey Daisy," Enos sat by Daisy's side at the river's bank, "are you OK?"

Daisy turned to him and read his worrisome in his hazel eyes; she smiled, "Sorry sugar. I'm feeling just a bit dizzy."

He kept on looking at her, a serious look on his face.

She sighed, "Ok, I admit I don't like to hear 'bout…" she shrugged and wrapped her arms around her chest, "… such things. It's scaring, and it reminds me of the Hospital and of the days before we found you."

Enos lay down on the grass, closing his eyes, "You're right. It's scaring, but I am not only the victim of it, I am also a cop, and I have to find the culprit before someone else is injured. I have to protect Hazzard's folks 'cause they trust me. And I have to protect you too. Whoever hurt me is dangerous."

Daisy stared at him and thought of his words, so typical of him. She smiled and rested her hand on his belly in a soft caress, "Enos, you are a great cop. And the sweetest man of the whole World."

She felt his abdominals tensing under her touch and him holding his breath, so she moved her hand away, "Sorry." She would have slapped her face because of her wrong touch and because of her stupidity in talking to him about how much the Hospital shocked her whereas he was the one having all the reasons to be shocked (much more than her, for sure).

He finally relaxed and had a deep sigh, his eyes still closed and his eyelids gently trembling. Lying on the grass, the sun lighted his face and gave his hair a honey shade; his breathing became slow and deep, and Daisy realized he was sleeping.

Bo reached them at the river's bank and sat by Daisy's side, "Is Enos sleeping?"

Daisy nodded, "All in a sudden. He lay down and fell asleep."

Luke sat by Enos' side, "It's what Doc Hunt said: Enos is goin' to be really sleepy and weak for some time, probably several weeks. It's pretty normal."

Bo glanced at Enos' motionless body, "Did you notice how people looked at him?"

Daisy shrugged, "They looked at him as someone who spent some time in Hospital, fighting against death. Since we visited him while he was in the Hospital, we got used at his look, but people didn't. I perfectly understand their surprise and shock to see him this way, though they smiled cheerfully."

Luke shook his head, "If we could find a way to understand what happened and to catch the culprit. Enos' reports are useless, and he doesn't remember anything." He stared at Enos and he shook his head again, he put his jacket off (similar of Enos' one but a different shade of blue), he folded it, he gently raised Enos' head and placed his jacket on the ground, finally resting Enos' head on it.

Daisy smiled; she loved her cousins, strong but caring men. Her grateful eyes moved from Luke to Enos, "He's sleeping so deeply, poor Enos. He's exhausted."

Bo stirred, lying on the ground, his arms folded behind his head, "Well, we can enjoy the sun while he is sleeping, don't you think?"

Luke followed Bo's advice whereas Daisy remained sitting, her eyes on the limpid river and in her ears the water's calming gurgling.

* * *

><p><em>Voices around him, more and more distant voices.<em>

_Faces looking at him: nurses, doctors, the Dukes, Hazzard's folks._

_Everything surfaced to his mind and then was sucked again underwater._

_Water's gurgling and voices._

_The sun warmed him up while he was lying unconscious on the grass._

_Luke's voice: "Can he hear us?" _

_He opened his eyes and he stared at the ceiling on him, a white ceiling with neon lights on it._

_Doc Hunt's face entered his visual field and started to talk about bumps, cuts, wounds, blood transfusions._

_He started to panic and he tried to move, but he was confined to bed by various tubes and needles: he could feel every tube and every needle inside his body._

"_We have to remove the bullet," Doc Hunt dressed his surgical mask and gloves, and took a sharp lancet from the handcart._

_A woman was crying by his side._

_When the lancet came closer to his belly, he tried to shout but he didn't emit any sound. _

* * *

><p>Enos opened his eyes wide and sat up, breathing heavily.<p>

"Enos! Are you OK?" Daisy caught the shock on his face and grabbed his arm, "Enos?" She stared at him who was slowly turning to her, his blank eyes finally focusing on her.

"I…" he looked around, "Where am I?"

Luke kept his voice calm and low, "We are in Yellow Creek, buddy. Don't worry. You were sleeping and you probably had a nightmare."

Enos nodded and collapsed on the ground, his eyes wide open, "Yeah, a nightmare." He rested his right hand on his eyes and he tried to control his breathing. He was drenched in cold sweat and he felt sick, "I think that… I'm not feeling well."

"Can you stand up?" Bo knelt by Enos' side.

Daisy looked at Bo and Luke helping Enos to stand up and walk to The General Lee. They helped him to enter the car and Daisy reached him on the back seat.

Enos rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes, whispering, "I'm feeling sick. Sorry."

The General Lee left Yellow Creek heading to the farm, while Luke grabbed the C.B. receiver and called uncle Jesse.

* * *

><p>A strong pressure around his arm made Enos moan and open his eyes.<p>

"Don't worry, everything's OK. You just need to rest," Doc Appleby removed the blood pressure pump from Enos' arm and stood up while Enos closed his eyes, his conscience plunging again into darkness.

"Doc Appleby…" Daisy walked to him.

Doc Appleby raised his right hand, blocking her and repeating his previous words, "Everything's OK, don't worry."

"BUT…" Daisy glanced at Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse, then she stared at Doc Appleby, "…but… all in a sudden he…"

"Do you remember when you got the flu, during winter, Daisy?"

Doc Appleby's question surprised Daisy, so she simply nodded, not understanding what Doc Appleby was trying to tell her.

"Well," Doc Appleby nodded and placed his blood pressure pump and his stethoscope in his bag, "you stayed in bed burning with fever for three days, and when you finally got up you complained you felt so weak you were barely able to stand up." He closed his bag and glanced at Daisy, "Enos had something pretty different than flu, and he didn't stay in bed for just three days. You understand what I am meaning, don't you?"

Daisy folded her arms and looked at the floor, "Yeah. Enos needs time to recover."

Doc Appleby walked to the door, "And don't forget of his psychological trauma beside the physical one. Someone nearly killed him, he woke up in a distant Hospital and he doesn't remember anything about the night he got injured… and about the last two months. He is scared and confused, and it's pretty normal, though he's probably trying to act as everything is OK." Before to leave, he looked at uncle Jesse, "Take care of him, Jesse. And call me if you need some advice or help."

Uncle Jesse shook hand with Doc Appleby, "Thanks Doc."

After the door closed behind Doc Appleby, Daisy sat on Enos' bed and caressed his cheek.

Enos rolled on his side, in fetal position, his body wrapping around Daisy.

Luke folded his arms and rested his back against the door, looking at the floor, while Bo walked around the room, unable to stop.

Daisy caressed Enos' nape and stared at Bo and Luke, "Stop it! Please. It doesn't work. We have just hurt Enos. Talking 'bout what happened that night, asking him to read his reports and bringing him to Yellow Creek: it didn't work. We know nothing more we already knew and we have hurt him."

Bo stopped his wandering and Luke raised his head; they looked at Daisy and opened their mouth to answer her, but uncle Jesse anticipated them: "Nobody wants to hurt Enos, Daisy. But you're right, it didn't work." He glanced at Bo and Luke, "if we try to force Enos' memory, we risk to hurt him. Let him recover, and probably he'll recall everything. And if he won't…" he shook his head, "… if he won't recall what happened, we won't probably find the culprit. Just pray the culprit is far away Hazzard, forgetting of Enos and not wondering if he is still alive or not. Just pray the culprit is already in jail for some other crime. We can't solve everything, and sometime we have to surrender. Now our priority is to help Enos to recover, staying by his side and not forcing painful memories on him. Forget of the culprit for a while and how to find out what happened that night."

Bo and Luke sighed in resignation while Daisy nodded, her eyes thanking uncle Jesse.

* * *

><p>In town, the culprit was sitting at the kitchen' table of his apartment, a picture in his hands.<p>

When he saw Enos coming to the town, that morning, he felt a brief pity for the deputy; brief pity, then his hate for him got stronger and stronger.

He stared at the brunette in the picture and he gritted his teeth: she was HIS woman, and Enos Strate couldn't interfere with it.

Everything happened was Enos Strate's fault.

He rested the picture of his woman on the cupboard and he left his apartment, heading to the place where he worked.


	14. Everything like usual, and harmless?

**EVERYTHING LIKE USUAL, AND HARMLESS, IN HAZZARD?**

TWO MONTHS AFTER

Everything was like usual in Hazzard.

After Enos coming back from the Hospital, his dramatic experience was still a mystery: nobody trying to hurt him again, fortunately, and his memory still a blank page, unfortunately.

The Dukes and Hazzard's folks kept their eyes open about every stranger coming to town: nobody could escape from that silent and attentive examination. If the strangers didn't look suspicious and if they didn't try to come too much closer Enos, the Dukes and folks lowered down their guard. No many strangers arrived in Hazzard, anyway, beside traders, farmers from nearby Counties, and some girls lost on their way to Atlanta (girls promptly dated by Bo and Luke in their task to "take their eyes on any stranger coming to town"… their words).

Everything totally usual… and harmless.

* * *

><p>Everything totally usual, like the patrol car's siren filling the air.<p>

Bo looked at the dusty road behind The General Lee, "Speed trap," he turned to Luke and smiled.

Luke nodded, "Who's driving the car?"

"Cletus."

Luke nodded again and smiled, mirroring Bo's smile, "OK. I'm goin' to lose him."

Bo looked at the approaching patrol car and smiled, agreeing with Luke's implication: since Cletus was the one driving the patrol car, they could start the chase, whereas if the driver had been Enos they would have slowed down and let Enos catching them. Their renouncing at the chase would have hurt Enos' pride, they knew it, but, since their friend wore again his uniform just two weeks before, they preferred to give him the time to regain his usual physical and mental level instead of involving him in a chase that could end in a bad wreck because of his forced time away from those famous chases (and because of the reason of that forced time away from it).

But since Cletus was the one driving…

Luke sped up and The General Lee increased its distance from the patrol car, a dusty cloud between the two cars.

Everything was like usual, and harmless, in Hazzard: cars' roars, siren, dusty clouds, bends… and a final splash.

Luke stopped The General Lee and both cousins came out the car; sitting on the shut doors, their forearms on the car's roof, they stared at the patrol car slowly sinking into the pond, their eyes focused on the water's surface, looking for the uniformed men.

They were ready to jump out the car and ran to the pond, but it wasn't necessary: Cletus and Enos surfaced from the water and reached the patrol car's roof, sitting on it.

Bo and Luke observed Enos and Cletus friendly arguing, and they laughed.

"HEY CLETUS!" Bo yelled, "NEXT TIME YOU'LL BE MORE LUCKY. NOW, I'M GOIN' TO WARN COOTER 'BOUT YOUR CAR, DON'T WORRY."

Cletus put his hat off and shook his head in frustration, showing his disappointment.

Enos beckoned and smiled, "HI BO! HI LUKE!"

Luke glanced at Bo and smiled amused, then he turned to the pond, ""HI ENOS! IS EVERYTHING OK, BUDDY?"

"FINE, JUST A BIT DAMP! THANKS!" Enos laughed.

Luke shook his head and chuckled, while Bo, his head backward, erupted in his usual open and loud laughing.

Everything totally usual and harmless in Hazzard.

* * *

><p>"In the pond? Is he fine?" Daisy stared at Bo and Luke talking about the chase and the obvious conclusion of it.<p>

"He is fine, don't worry, Daisy," Bo came closer Daisy and patted her shoulder, winking, "we don't want to hurt your future hubby."

Daisy blushed, she grabbed a pillow from the couch and she hit Bo with it, "BO DUKE!"

After looking at Daisy taking care of Enos as he stayed at the farm, her real feelings for him weren't a secret anymore for Bo and Luke.

Uncle Jesse entered the living room and passed Daisy a bag.

"Thanks, uncle Jesse," Daisy grabbed the bag and headed to the door, "See you later."

Bo stared at the closing door and folded his arms, smiling, "I'm a bit jealous of ol' Enos. I too would like a woman coming to my home every evening for dinner, keeping me company and petting me."

Luke circled Bo's shoulders with his arm, "You can count on me and uncle Jesse for having dinner with you and for keeping you company. Maybe not for petting you, but you can count on us, anyway."

Bo shrugged and freed from Luke's arm, laughing and walking to the kitchen.

Uncle Jesse rolled his eyes and reached Bo in the kitchen, while Luke smiled and shook his head.

Everything was coming back to normality, in Hazzard.

* * *

><p>Enos opened the door of his little apartment at the Boarding House, "Hi Daisy."<p>

Daisy entered the apartment and rested the bag on the little table at the center of the room, a room being living room, kitchen and bedroom all together.

Everything like usual along the last two weeks, since the day Enos came back to his old life at the Boarding House: the bag with their dinner on the table, his hat and tie on a chair, their arms around each other's waist, their lips touching in a sweet kiss.

Everything like usual...

... Their joking with their new intimacy.

"Bo and Luke told me 'bout the chase," she caressed his cheek, in her eyes both worrisome and amusement, "my poor Enos. You should be more careful, you came back to work just two weeks ago."

Enos shrugged, his arms still around her waist, "It isn't my fault. If I were driving instead of Cletus, for sure I would have reached the General."

Daisy laughed and pinched his cheek, "I'm not so sure 'bout it, sugar. Catching a Duke isn't easy."

He held her close and looked into her eyes, amused, "I have caught you, Daisy Duke."

... Their repeated gestures.

They walked to the bed and lay down, Daisy supine and Enos cuddled by her side, in fetal position, his head on her chest: position and gestures experienced at the farm along the weeks Enos spent there, sleeping almost all the time, his sleep several times visited by nightmares.

... Their talking of nothing and everything at the same time, much more behind their words.

"Had you a good night?" Daisy caressed his hair, asking, and not asking, him about his nightmares.

"I slept all night long," he buried his face against her chest while she caressed his nape, letting her know he had no nightmare, especially no nightmares about crying women.

"Bad or good day?" she inhaled his hair's scent, in her question her attempt to measure his weakness.

"Nothing I can't solve with a good sleep. I had worse days," he rolled on his back and lay by her side, now, their head on the same pillow, and he stared at the ceiling, expressing his being still weak but less and less weak as days went by.

"I miss you at the farm, Enos. I liked to see you both soon after waking up and before going to sleep," she watched at the same ceiling.

Enos rolled on his side and rested on his elbow, looking down at her, a soft blush on his cheeks, "Daisy…would you marry me? I have saved some money since I started working, and I can find an apartment, here in town, or a small farm, where to live and build our family. I know last months have been… crazy, but… I want to come back to life after my experience… you know…" he held his breath.

"Oh Enos," she wrapped her arms around his neck and she pulled him to her, "yeah, I want to become your wife. Finally." She laughed, "I don't want to be the oldest bride in Hazzard."

Their lips met.

On the table, the sunset entering the window gave the bag a reddish shade.

* * *

><p>Early in the morning after, The General Lee was reaching the town: Bo at the wheel, Luke at the passenger seat, and an excited Daisy between them.<p>

Bo glanced at Daisy and smiled, "So, Enos finally asked you to get married."

Daisy nodded, "It means he has finally forgot 'bout what happened two months ago. I'm happy he has finally decided to move on."

Luke raised his eyebrows and turned to her, an ironic pitch in his voice, "He can't forget what he doesn't even remember."

Daisy punched softly his shoulder, "Luke! You know what I'm meaning."

Luke smiled, "I know, I know."

When The General Lee stopped in Hazzard's square, a growing crowd was forming in front of the Hazzard Police Department.

"What's goin' on?" Bo came out the car and walked to the crowd, followed by Luke and Daisy, the same questioning and confusing look on their face.

They pierced the human wall and they finally reached Enos, Cletus and Rosco at the center of it, their eyes pointed at the same spot.

Three letters, just three letters on the deputy patrol car's side:

**D I E.**

Red paint, like blood, some paint oozing from the letters like blood dripping along the car's side: bloody omen for Enos (everybody knew that word on the deputy patrol car was for Enos: even if Hazzard had actually two deputies, just one of them already almost fulfilled that omen).

Rosco turned to Cooter, his voice low and his look serious, "Cooter, take the patrol car and paint its side, hiding that word."

If only a white paint could hide what that word meant too…

Daisy turned to Luke, "Luke! We have kept an eye on every stranger coming to town!"

Luke had a deep breath and stared at the word, his arms folded, "Yeah, every stranger, thinking the harm could come from outside Hazzard," his blue eyes ran along the human wall around them and his voice lowered, "but we didn't think of the harm coming from Hazzard."

Daisy covered her mouth with her hands, "Oh my God!"

Enos slowly turned to the Dukes, catching Luke's words, words adding nothing to his own thought; he put his hat off and he walked to the Police Department's entrance, tens of eyes on him, the eyes of the culprit too, while he kept his eyes down at the ground.

"Enos!" Daisy ran after him along the walkway heading to the Police Department's entrance; Bo and Luke followed her, their eyes still glancing at the crowd.


	15. Just a matter of jealousy

**JUST A MATTER OF JEALOUSY**

Enos walked to his desk and placed his hat on it, then he turned to the Dukes entering the Police Department, a worried and confused look on his face, "I guess someone out there wants me dead, someone who lives in Hazzard. It's what you too are thinking of, aren't you?"

Luke nodded, repeating Daisy's previous words, "We have kept an eye on every stranger coming to town, but…" he had a deep sigh and shook his head, "… unless some stranger is hiding somewhere out there, waiting for a new chance to hurt you, we should take into account the possibility that someone in Hazzard has a score to settle with you."

Enos looked at the floor, his voice a whisper, "Why? I have never hurt anybody. I don't understand why someone hates me so much."

Bo walked to Enos and patted his shoulder, "It's what we are goin' to find out, buddy."

Enos looked at Bo and smiled sadly, "I really appreciate your help. Thanks."

Bo smiled and flicked Enos' cheek, "You would have done the same for us, Enos."

Rosco raised his fist and shook it, "Nobody can hurt one of my deputies and get away with it!"

Cletus nodded, "Well said, sheriff!"

Daisy came closer Enos and rested her hands on his shoulders, "We're goin' to protect you, sugar." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a soft and brief kiss.

Enos blushed and glanced at the men around him: his shyness allowed him to kiss Daisy in the privacy of his apartment but not in front of people.

Daisy grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Enos, please, come to the farm for the night. I can't sleep peacefully if I think of you stayin' at the Boarding House."

Luke folded his arms and stared at Enos, "Daisy is right. After what happened this morning, you shouldn't stay alone."

Enos nodded, "OK. I'm goin' to stay at the farm for the night, but I'm goin' to do my duty too. I'm goin' to work every day, helping you to find what's goin' on. I don't want to be put aside."

Luke patted Enos' shoulder, "We need your help, buddy. Now, we're goin' to talk with uncle Jesse and to think of a plan. See you." He turned round and walked to the door while Bo and Daisy followed him. They needed a plan, they needed an advice; uncle Jesse was their mentor and their farm was the calmest place where to think of what to do.

* * *

><p>"Die?" Uncle Jesse opened his eyes wide and stared at his nephews and niece, "On Enos' patrol car?" He thoughtfully scratched his beard, "It isn't good. Not good at all. You have kept an eye on any stranger coming to town…" He glanced at Bo, Luke and Daisy, sharing the same conclusion in his mind.<p>

Bo sat at the kitchen's table, "Yeah. It looks like someone in Hazzard wants Enos dead. And we have to find it out before it's too late. But I can't imagine who could hate Enos so much. I mean… Enos! Nobody can hate a guy like Enos. He has never had any fight with other guys, here."

Daisy sat in front of Bo, "You, Luke and Cooter are the ones who are usually involved into the many and many brawls at the Boar's Nest."

Bo smiled amused, "You're right. Since when we were young, I don't remember Enos involved in any brawl. Even before he became a cop, he was usually the one who tried to stop me, Luke and Cooter. And he usually ended up with a black eye or a bump because of us, 'til he decided he wasn't goin' to try to stop us anymore." He turned serious, "But he has never hit anybody. So, I can't think of anybody holding a grudge because of a fight."

Daisy nodded, "Neither because of his job. For sure some folks hold a grudge against Boss and Rosco because of their tricks, but not against Enos."

Uncle Jesse sat at the head of the table, "Right. Enos is the only honest lawman in Hazzard, and everybody knows it, though he has to follow Boss and Rosco's orders."

Daisy turned to uncle Jesse, "What if someone hurt Enos 'cause he is the Hazzard's deputy? A sort of warning to Boss and Rosco." Her heart rejected the idea that someone in Hazzard could hate Enos, and her mind was trying to please her heart.

Bo shook his head, "I don't think so. If someone had tried to send a message to Boss and Rosco through their deputy, Enos would have been injured during his duty instead of during his time off duty, and that word – die - would have been painted on Rosco's car or on the Hazzard Police Department's building. Everything looks really personal against Enos, not against the Hazzard Police Department."

Listening silently and thoughtfully to his family, Luke stood with his back against the cupboard and his arms folded. He finally spoke, "Now, think of the main reasons in the whole World why people kill each other," he unfolded his arms and raised his right thumb, "First, money: economic reasons, as inheritance, for example, and so on. And I don't think someone holds a grudge against Enos because of money." He raised his right forefinger and glanced at Daisy, "second, passion and jealousy."

Daisy, Bo and uncle Jesse turned to Luke, his words slowly settling in their minds.

Bo glanced at Daisy, "Passion and jealousy… You are talking 'bout Enos and Daisy, aren't you, Luke?"

Daisy's heart skipped a beat.

Luke nodded, "This is one of the main reasons of murders: men jealous of other men because of women. We read and hear 'bout it every day in the newspapers and on TV. Sorry for sayin' so, but everything turns 'round money and sex, in the World. Daisy has always had a lot of suitors, it isn't a secret."

Bo smiled sweetly at Daisy, trying to ease her discomfort, "She is a Duke, and Dukes have always had a great success with the opposite sex. It isn't a secret."

Luke kept on his idea, "Enos and Daisy nearly got married two months ago, and since then people think they are officially engaged, whereas in the past their relationship was more… foggy. Maybe a guy who has always had a crush on Daisy is now eaten up by jealousy, hating Enos because he's goin' to have Daisy."

Uncle Jesse nodded thoughtfully, "I think this is a realistic possibility, for sure more realistic than someone hating Enos because of his job or because of a personal revenge. Enos is an honest cop, he is a kind guy and he has never hurt anybody, so his relationship with Daisy could be the reason why someone hates him. Just a matter of jealousy."

Bo looked at his hands on the table, avoiding Daisy's eyes on him, "The list of the men who have desired or have had a love affair with Daisy is really long."

Daisy's cheeks burned in embarrass, "Stop talking of my love affairs. I had several crushes and flirts in the past, OK, but fleeting crushes: I wasn't really involved, except maybe with Jamie Lee Hogg," she felt her cheeks burning both of embarrassment and shame, thinking of her worst mistake in judging a man, "I wasn't really involved, neither the guys I dated. Sincerely, I don't think of Jamie Lee or… someone else… trying to kill Enos 'cause two months ago Enos and I nearly got married!"

Bo smiled, "Jamie Lee is in jail, like that guy who pretended to be a Duke, Gaylord Duke… or that guy, Earl Beckett, you helped him to find a job at Cooter's but he…"

Daisy casted an angry look at Bo, "BO DUKE! Stop it!"

Bo's sweet smile calmed her, "I'm simply sayin' you had a terrific taste for guys, Daisy."

Luke chuckled at Bo's statement then he turned serious, "Let's focus on guys who live in Hazzard and not on guys who stayed in Hazzard just for awhile. For example… what 'bout Darcy? You dated him for several months, two years ago."

Daisy stared at Luke, "Darcy? Are you really thinking that Darcy would hurt Enos? Come on, Luke! I dated Darcy for several months, OK, but it happened before he left Hazzard for a course; he stayed away from Hazzard for nearly one year, he met a girl, a pilot like him, during that course, he came back to Hazzard with his girl and he is goin' to marry her. Darcy is happy with Emily, and Emily is happy with Darcy. Beside, you, Darcy and Enos were in the same classroom at school, and you have always been good friends, maybe not close friends but good friends."

Luke nodded, "OK, discard Darcy. What 'bout John McGuire? Sonny Watson? Tom Clark?"

Daisy opened her eyes wide, "John? Sonny? Tom? LUKE! I dated those guys when I was 14 year old! Just innocent dates, at the 'Ice Cream Parlor' for an ice cream! Nothing else! Anyway, John, Sonny and Tom are happily married and with children, now." She folded her arms, "Do you really remember all my love affairs?"

Luke shrugged, "I have a big memory, and I have always taken an eye on you… and on the guys hanging around you! I know what guys want from girls!"

Bo laughed and winked at Daisy, "Luke is over-protective."

Daisy stared at Bo, "And you aren't less over-protective than Luke. You and Luke have always driven me crazy because of your bein' so over-protective."

Bo nodded, smiling, "You are right. I also recall you dating John, Sonny and Tom, though I was just a child. It was during the time Enos was at the Police Academy."

Daisy looked down at the table.

John… Sonny… Tom… and the 'Ice Cream Parlor'.

… the 'Ice Cream Parlor'…

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

"Do you like it?" Enos smiled shyly, as usual.

Sitting at the table inside the 'Ice Cream Parlor', Daisy swallowed the ice cream, "Yeah. I love it." In her large overalls and boots, her long hair in a ponytail, she looked like a tomboy. She looked at Enos and smiled.

He looked down at the table, his fingers nervously folding a napkin, "Uh… Daisy… I have already talked 'bout it to Luke and uncle Jesse, and it's time to talk to you too."

Daisy rested the spoon on her napkin and stared at Enos.

He scratched his short hair and glanced at her before to focus again on the napkin, "I'm goin' to leave Hazzard. I want to become a cop, so I'm goin' to live at the Police Academy for the next two years… but…" he glanced again at her "… I'm goin' to come back to Hazzard during holidays, and at the end of the Academy I'm goin' to ask Boss Hogg to hire me as deputy."

Daisy was shocked, "A cop? YOU?"

Enos Strate a cop? The son of a moonshiner? The son of one of uncle Jesse's closest friends? Thinking about it, Daisy realized it wasn't so strange: Enos has always had a strong honesty, sense of justice and total inability to lie, coupled with his being a pretty good driver and good at shooting because of his father's teaching. She couldn't think of him as moonshiner because of his inability to lie, otherwise he could be a good and honest cop, so exploiting his driving and shooting skills.

"What did uncle Jesse and Luke tell you 'bout your decision?"

Enos shrugged, "Uncle Jesse understood my choice whereas Luke is a bit angry 'bout it. Uncle Jesse is a moonshiner, and Luke and Bo probably are goin' to be moonshiners too, whereas I'm goin' to be… at the other side of the barricade," he smiled sadly, "but it doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore."

The ice cream's taste turned bitter in Daisy's mouth, "And what 'bout me? Who is goin' to offer me an ice cream, from time to time, while you are away?"

Enos looked at her, in surprise, "Bo and Luke, of course! And Cooter! And… I guess that a lot of guys want to offer you an ice cream, Daisy."

Daisy blushed, "You are so kind, Enos. But Bo is still a child, he is only 11 year old."

In that moment, the 'child' entered the 'Ice Cream Parlor' with a young girl, he came closer the counter and he ordered two ice creams, for him and for, his words, his 'baby'.

Enos turned round, "Hi Bo."

Bo smiled, "Hi Enos. Hi Daisy."

Her eyes wide open, Daisy stared at Bo and the little girl leaving, then she stared at Enos, "Did he really call that girl 'BABY'. Really? Where did he learn it?"

Enos shrugged and smiled, "I guess… from Luke and Coot."

Daisy frowned and folded her arms, "I hope no man is goin' to call me 'his baby'! It's disrespectful. It's impersonal, like talking of an object. I should explain it to Bo, Luke and Cooter, some day or another."

Enos looked down at the table, "I don't think it's disrespectful but just… protective. Anyway, if it makes you happy, I won't ever call you 'baby'."

Daisy forgot her previous disappointment and laughed, "Oh Enos. I wasn't talking of you, I was talking of a man… MAN. Do you understand what I mean?"

Enos smiled shyly, "Uh… yeah."

Daisy rested her right elbow on the table and her chin on the palm of her right hand, "If a man can use 'baby', what 'bout a woman using…" she looked around and finally at the sweet ice cream in the glass in front of her, "… for example… 'sugar' or 'honey'? Would you like me calling you 'sugar' or 'honey', Enos?"

Enos blushed, "You can call me using whatever word you prefer, Daisy. Every word coming out your lips is beautiful."

Daisy laughed: cool thing, calling a boy 'sugar' or 'honey'.

* * *

><p>… the 'Ice Cream Parlor'…<p>

Daisy smiled, "You're right, Bo. I dated those guys during the time Enos was at the Police Academy. At that time you, Luke and Cooter were too much busy in chasing your 'babies' instead of offering me an ice cream." She turned to Luke, her look now serious, "And you too were goin' to leave and to reach the Marines, but I don't want to talk of that time." She stood up, "I'm not happy at the idea that someone hates Enos because of his relationship with me. I want to find out who is this guy, "she folded her arms and she moved her proud eyes from Luke to Bo and finally from Bo to uncle Jesse, "I'm goin' to find him! I'm not his 'baby' and I'm perfectly able to choose the man I want to date and marry, no interferences 'bout it. If he thinks he could have me after killing his rival, he's totally crazy!"

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

The brunette looked at the city outside the window: Atlanta was a so big city if compared to the small Hazzard.

She gently touched her ring finger, caressing it and thinking of what was missing.

She couldn't stand it anymore, and it was the reason why she left Hazzard, but she wasn't proud of her choice 'cause it was just a getaway; if she had really been brave, that day she would have talked, that day she would have told everything to Enos Strate.

She could feel his warmth and his scent while she buried her face against his chest and cried. She could feel his hands on her elbows in his attempt to free himself from her grasp.

She could even hear his words:

"_Please, I don't like to see a woman crying. It scares and saddens me. Tell me how I can help you, Madam."_

But she didn't talk, just a pitiful lie to justify her tears.

And when she started to realize she was falling in love with that young, honest and sweet deputy, she understood that staying in Hazzard was dangerous… for him and for her.

* * *

><p><strong>THANKS for your reviews! I'm really happy you are liking it, hope you liked this chapter too, a longer chapter but a new piece of the puzzle, here.<strong>


	16. Daffodil lament

**The title comes from one of my favorite songs, by The Cranberries. **

* * *

><p><strong>DAFFODIL LAMENT<strong>

_SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA_

Josephine looked thoughtfully outside the window, the city of Atlanta fading and Hazzard taking its place.

"Hey Jo, wake up." Her friend Ellen entered the kitchen and smiled, "Forget of your past life."

Jo turned to Ellen, "It isn't so easy."

Ellen sat at the table and took Jo's right hand in hers, smiling sweetly, "I know."

Jo looked at her ring finger and at the sign of her wedding ring.

Ellen caught Jo's look, "Stop thinking of him. He can't hurt you anymore. You have finally had the nerve to run away from him, and now you have to think of your new life. Start things from here."

Jo nodded, "You're right. I like my new job at the bakery, and I like to share the apartment with you. But…"

"… but you can't forget 'bout your husband. I'm happy you have finally decided to leave him, but I think you should have reported him a lot of time ago."

Jo sighed, "I know it. I tried, really. But every time I tried it, at the end I was unable to talk 'bout it. Some time ago I was goin' to say everything to the deputy, but… I couldn't. Too much embarrassing. I was in front of him, crying like a baby, and I managed just to find an excuse, a stupid excuse 'bout my bein' there and my crying."

Ellen opened her eyes wide, "Embarrassing? A woman abused by her husband isn't embarrassing, but shameful. Shame on him! Not on you! And you should have talked 'bout it with that deputy."

Jo wiped a tear with her left hand, "It's embarrassing, talking to someone 'bout it. You are a woman, a close friend, I know you since when I was a child before to meet him, marry him and leave Atlanta for Hazzard. I can talk to you 'bout it, but not to… a man, a cop," she blushed, "though a kind cop."

Ellen smiled, catching Jo's blushing, "Is the deputy of Hazzard so kind?"

Jo shrugged, "Yeah, a kind guy. Everybody in Hazzard likes him," she glanced at Ellen, "OK! Stop looking at me that way. I confess that his kindness really moved me. And my feelings are one of the reasons why I left Hazzard: when my husband asked me why I went to the Police Department, the way he asked me why I met the deputy… it scared me. He would kill both me and my supposed lover if he thought I'm cheating him!"

Ellen opened her eyes wide, "Killing? Come on!"

Jo stared at her, "Yeah, killing. Trust me, he is insane, and the most scaring thing is his ability to hide this side of him. I can't believe I didn't realized it when I met him; at the beginning his jealousy was somehow pleasant, I felt protected and also flattered, and when I realized it was a prison, it was too late."

Ellen shivered, "Oh my God. Do you think he is looking for you? Maybe he asked for help at the Police Department 'bout your missing."

Jo laughed, a bitter laugh, "Police Department? If he asks for help 'bout my missing, he would focus everybody's attention on him, and this is the last thing he would do. I guess he told everybody I left Hazzard because of my mother: some years ago my mother had some serious health's problems, and I stayed with her for some months. Nobody in Hazzard would be surprised if he said I'm actually staying by my mother's side, until he'll find a new excuse… or a way to find me."

"Really creepy." Ellen stood up and walked to the door, "You should go out and have some fun instead of thinking of these creepy things. I'm planning to go out with some of my friends, one of the next evenings; it depends on our shifts."

Jo looked at the sunset outside the window, "Night shift. I'm happy I didn't become a nurse like you, I don't like to work at night."

Ellen shrugged, "You get used to it. Anyway, I have some good friends among my colleagues at the Atlanta Medical Center. Especially Dolly, she can really cheer you up with her strange stories. You'll like her."

"Does she work in your department?"

Ellen shook her head, "No. She works in the I.C.U. Some time ago she was really excited because of a strange case… a case of John Doe. But I had no chance to meet her and to talk 'bout it," she winked, "Don't worry, when we'll go out, for sure she'll tell us everything."

Jo smiled, "So, I hope she will distract me from my creepy thoughts."

Ellen glanced at the clock, "It's late. See you tomorrow." Before to leave, she came closer the table of the living room and she inhaled the scent of the flowers in the pot at the center of the table, "I love this scent. It relaxes me."

Jo smiled, "Daffodils. Their botanic name is narcissi, and they symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. It's why I chose them."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Inside the living room at the farm, everybody was lost in his thoughts, their thoughts around the same question.

Enos stood up and walked to the window, staring at the darkness and answering the question, "I don't know who could be. Really. I never had any problem with folks, and I don't think I had any problem along the two months before I got injured, though I don't remember a thing 'bout it."

Uncle Jesse sighed, "Luke, Bo, Daisy and I were wondering about someone who hates you because of…" he glanced at Daisy, "… because of Daisy and her relationship with you. A matter of jealousy, male jealousy."

Enos turned to uncle Jesse, "Jealousy?" Surprise in his tone, and then denial, "I don't think so. Why now and not years ago, for example? Everybody knows I have had a crush on Daisy since the third grade."

Bo nodded, "But you nearly married her some months ago, and someone tried to kill you few after that day. Maybe someone is trying to stop you before you and Daisy finally get married."

Enos shook his head, "Why not before our nearly wedding?"

Luke shrugged, "Everything happened quickly, that day; your decision and the wedding, everything too much quickly. Maybe he is someone who realized his jealousy after you postponed everything."

Enos turned to Luke, "So, you think he could be a man who has a crush on Daisy and who is jealous of me, don't you?"

Luke nodded, "Exactly."

His hands on his hips, Enos looked down at the floor, "I understand your idea, and it's a possibility. Just a possibility." He walked to the couch and sank into it, blushing a bit, "Yesterday evening I asked Daisy to marry me, and this morning I found that word on the patrol car," he turned to Daisy, "did you talk to someone 'bout my proposal?"

Daisy shook her head, "Nobody but uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke. Nobody else knows 'bout it."

Enos sighed, "My head is exploding. If you don't mind, I need to go to sleep."

Uncle Jesse stood up, "I think it's time to go to sleep for everybody. It's night, and we have to wake up early in the morning."

Bo and Luke stood up and walked to their bedroom, while Daisy followed Enos.

Finally in Enos' bedroom, Daisy hugged him, "I'm so sorry, Enos. If I'm the reason why someone…"

"Stop it, please," he wrapped his arms around her chest, "it isn't your fault."

She buried her face against his chest, a question chocking her since the morning, "What about the wedding, now?" She held her breath and waited for an answer she already knew.

"I can't marry you 'til I'll find out what's happening. I don't want to involve you in this, Daisy. I don't want you to be the youngest widow in Hazzard. If someone is really so jealous 'bout us, what if he is goin' to focus his rage on you beside me?"

Daisy let her breath go, she parted from his hug and she walked to his bed, sitting on it, "I knew you were goin' to say so, and I understand your trying to protect me, but, Enos…"

He sat by her side, "I know what you're goin' to say, 'bout sharing and starting from the bad. But, Daisy, I don't want to start from the bad, 'cause the bad could mean something… really bad. Something we can't solve. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Daisy looked at her hands on her knees, "Don't talk 'bout your death, Enos. I can't stand it."

He closed his eyes and had a deep breath, "Please, go to sleep, now. I need to rest, this headache is killing me."

She rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently, "Did you talk 'bout it to Doc Appleby?"

He nodded, his eyes still closed and his right hand covering them, "It's the consequence of my head trauma. It seems I am goin' to live with it for the rest of my life, and it's the same for my scars." No rage in his voice but just sadness.

"Oh Enos," she held her tears and she kissed his cheek, "we're goin' to find who did it to you. Now, have some rest."

He kept his eyes closed until he heard her standing up and walking to the door. When she turned the light off and closed the door, he opened his eyes and lay down, looking at the ceiling and praying he wasn't going to look at a Hospital's new ceiling, or worse.


	17. The scent separating night and day

**THE SCENT SEPARATING NIGHT AND DAY**

Night's darkness.

Enos opened in his eyes and felt a presence in his room: in the darkness someone was looking at him, hiding somewhere inside the room. He felt that presence as totally real, not a nightmare but pure reality.

He tried to move but his body didn't answer; mind and body were disconnected.

The presence was still there, a man hiding in the darkness and staring at him.

If he couldn't move, maybe he could talk. Vain attempt, from his throat just a whisper.

The air inside the room turned cold, a cold entering his body and reaching his bones, while the shadow moved and came closer the bed. The more the shadow came closer, the more the piercing cold entered his body, icy breathe on his paralyzed body.

He closed his eyes, praying for his safeness, and the darkness swallowed him.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was normal: no shadow in his room, his mind and body was still connected, and the cold was gone.

He sat up and rubbed his face.

Was it just a dream, or a strange consequence of his previous coma?

He needed to talk with someone. He couldn't stay there.

When his bare feet touched the floor, he shivered; he walked to the door and opened it.

In the living room, he looked around at the silent and dark house.

* * *

><p><em>His naked body was pressing on her one.<em>

_She liked it, she liked the feeling of his skin on her; his fingers, ten curious creatures, explored her body, every part on her body, giving her an exciting pleasure._

_When his lips and tongue helped his fingers in his exploration, she arched her back and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight._

"_Enos"_

_She whispered his name in his ear, ready for the conclusion of that exploration, but his body parted from her._

_She felt like choking and the pleasant warmth on her skin turned into a burning fire, devouring her._

"_I am sorry Daisy. But… you have to choose." _

_She tried to control her breath, "Choose?"_

"_Choose between my body and heart. You can't have both of them. If you choose my body I'll give my heart to another woman, and if you choose my heart I'll give my body to another woman. You can't have both my body and heart."_

"_WHAT? I want both of them, Enos. You are MINE. Another woman? I want to know who is this woman."_

_The fire was burning her; she grabbed his shoulders and she tried to pull him to her, her nails scratching his skin, but he didn't move._

"_ENOS!"_

* * *

><p>Daisy sat up and stared at her bedroom, in confusion.<p>

She glanced at the clock on her night table: 1 a.m., deep night.

She shook her head and she wondered why that strange dream, in her mouth a bitter taste.

"_Just a matter of jealousy"_

She spent the whole day talking about jealousy with uncle Jesse and the boys, so, was the burning feeling of her dream "just a matter of jealousy"?

"_If you choose my body I'll give my heart to another woman"_

Another woman: she hated her even if she didn't know her. In her dream, she hated that woman 'cause she was going to have a part of Enos.

Was it jealousy? Somewhere out there, did a man want her as much as she wanted Enos in her dream? Somewhere out there, did a man hate Enos as much as she hated that woman?

The strength of that burning feeling and hate scared her.

She lay down and washed away that pesky feeling, trying to sleep.

Before to fall asleep, a sudden thought: did Enos want her as much as she wanted Enos? Did Enos hate the guys she dated in the past as much as she hated that woman? Did Enos know what jealousy meant?

* * *

><p>When the mattress gently swung, Luke opened his eyes.<p>

"Luke," a whisper.

Luke sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Enos! What's goin' on?" He glanced at the clock on his night table, "it's deep night!"

Sitting on Luke's bed, Enos whispered again, "Luke, sorry to wake you up this way, but I need your help."

"Are you feeling sick? How's your headache? Do you want me to call Doc Appleby?"

In the darkness, Enos' figure shook his head, "No, I am fine, I just want to talk."

"Talk?" Bo sat up and yawned, "Enos? What's goin' on?"

Enos turned to Bo, "Hey Bo. I'm wondering how we can find who tried to kill me. I know 'bout your idea, but… do you really think it's someone who hates me just because of Daisy? I don't like it! What if that man decides to hit Daisy too? I - "

"Enos. Enos, stay calm, please." Luke caught the panic in Enos' voice, "We are goin' to protect you, and Daisy too if necessary. We're goin' to solve this thing, some way or another, don't worry."

Enos nodded and remained silent.

Bo yawned, "Go to sleep, Enos. You need to rest."

"There's something … in my room."

"WHAT?" Bo and Luke's voices fused.

Enos shook his head, "I mean… I had a nightmare 'bout a dark presence in my room. I'm a bit confused, sorry."

Bo and Luke looked at each other, their eyes meeting despite the darkness and sharing the same worrisome about Enos' anguish.

Bo rubbed his face, "Do you want me to sleep in your room while you sleep here in my bed?"

The darkness masked Enos' blushing but not his nervous voice, "Of course not, Bo! I'm not a child scared by the bogeyman."

Luke got up and walked to the closet, he opened it and he took a sleeping bag, "You can sleep here, if you want to."

Enos lowered his head, "May I stay here?"

Bo smiled, "Of course, Enos. If it could help you to sleep without nightmares, well, stay here. If you prefer, I can sleep in the sleeping bag while you - "

"I don't want to steal your bed, Bo!"

Luke had a deep sigh and walked back to his bed, giving Enos the sleeping bag.

Finally inside the sleeping bag, on the floor between Bo and Luke's beds, Enos had a deep breath, "I don't like the idea the culprit is someone living in Hazzard, a folk. I have always done my best to help and protect folks."

Luke folded his arms behind his head and looked at the ceiling, "I know you are disappointed and angry, Enos."

"It isn't a matter of disappointment or anger, Luke. I can't blame the whole town for just one person. But now, every time I meet someone, or I talk to someone, I can't help but thinking if the man in front of me hates me to the point to want me dead. I don't like to look at people this way. I trust people, and I have always been honest 'cause I want people trust me. It's a matter of… lacking of trust. I'm not disappointed of people, but I am sad 'cause I have to change my attitude toward people in order to defend myself; I don't like to be so… prejudiced to people. Do you understand what I mean?"

Bo and Luke whispered in unison, "Yeah," then they remained silent thinking of Enos' words, until Enos' breath became deep and regular.

"Luke?" Bo whispered.

"Yeah."

"Are you still awake?"

"If I were sleeping, I wouldn't answer you, Bo!"

Bo sat up, "We have to find who is trying to hit Enos, as soon as possible. I can't stand him talking this way and having nightmares so terrific to the point he can't sleep. And I don't want to see him again in the Hospital, or worse."

Luke stirred, "Me too, Bo. Having Enos in Hospital means having you not sleeping at night, and having you not sleeping at night means I can't sleep."

"Come on, Luke. Yeah, when Enos was in Hospital I woke up during the night 'cause I couldn't sleep, but you were already awake when it happened, and uncle Jesse and Daisy too."

Luke rolled on his side, "Ok. You weren't able to sleep, neither I. Now, please, sleep!"

Few after, Bo and Luke's breath fused with Enos' one.

* * *

><p>When the mattress gently swung and someone started to shake him, uncle Jesse opened his eyes.<p>

"Uncle Jesse! Uncle Jesse! Wake up! Enos isn't in his room!"

Uncle Jesse sat up and rubbed his eyes, then he looked at Daisy, "Daisy, it's…" he glanced at the clock, 6 a.m. "early morning. Maybe Enos is in the bathroom."

"No, he isn't there. I have already checked it."

Uncle Jesse got up and walked to the open door of his room, sighing, "And why did you enter Enos' room so early in the morning?"

Daisy blushed, "I needed to ask him something, and to check if he had a good night despite his headache. But it isn't the point, he isn't in his room!"

Bo came out his room, stirring and yawning, "Good morning."

Daisy walked to Bo and grabbed his arms, "Enos left the farm; he isn't in his room."

Bo smiled, "He didn't leave the farm. And he isn't in his room 'cause he's sleeping in our room," he pointed at the door of the bedroom he shared with Luke, "he woke up because of a nightmare and came to our room to talk, then he decided to sleep in Luke's sleeping bag, on the floor."

Daisy punched Bo's shoulder, "Why did you let him sleeping on the floor?"

"Hey, Daisy, it's Enos' choice. I tried to convince him to sleep in my bed while I slept in the sleeping bag, really!"

"_Just a matter of jealousy"_

"And why didn't he come to MY room if he wanted to talk 'bout his nightmares? He could sleep in my bed, it's large enough for both of us."

Bo and uncle Jesse raised their eyebrows, both in surprise and discomfort, and stared at Daisy, making her blush when she realized the possible and embarrassing implication of her words and, through that implication, she recalled her dream.

Uncle Jesse shook his head and walked to the kitchen, "He isn't sleeping in YOUR room 'cause that boy has enough respect for me and my house," he turned to Daisy and had a brief amused laugh, "and also enough fear of me; I prohibited him to enter your room when he changed from a child to a teenager."

Bo sniggered.

"And now, since you are awake and it's morning, Daisy, help me to cook breakfast. And you, Bo, dress up and go to the henhouse. I need some eggs." He turned to Bo and his features turned serious, "Then, you'll explain me what happened exactly, and what kind of nightmare Enos was having; everything could be useful to understand what got lost in his memory."

Bo and Daisy nodded at their uncle's orders, "Yes sir."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

"_This is your wallet!" … "What's the problem with your darn wallet?"_

Jo woke up, her husband's voice resounding in her ears.

She looked at the room around her and she calmed down; she was in Atlanta.

The strong and aromatic scent of coffee woke her up, definitively.

She smelled the coffee's scent and she glanced at the clock, smiling.

Ellen was back from her night shift.

* * *

><p>The scent of coffee woke Enos and Luke up.<p>

Luke got up and walked outside the room, stirring, and Enos followed him, rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in your sleeping bag, Luke."

Luke turned to Enos, rubbing his face, "You're welcome, buddy. It was a long time since the last time you stayed for the night, sleeping in my room. I recall when we were younger, spending the night to talk about cars and girls." He smiled amused, "No, wrong, I talked of girls and you just of Daisy: what's the ice cream's flavor Daisy likes the most? What's the color Daisy likes the most? What's the flower Daisy likes the most?" He shook his head, keeping on smiling, "You drove me crazy."

Enos blushed, "Shucks, Luke. I wasn't so annoying."

They looked at each other with a friendly smile and they inhaled the strong scent filling the farm, the scent that separates night and day.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to everybody who reviewed and to everybody who is reading.<strong>

**Beside the main plot, I'm trying to shape Enos/Bo/Luke relationship: I was going to add a funny flash-back about their childhood, but the chapter would have been too much long (maybe I'll add it in a future chapter). Any hint or opinion is welcome.**


	18. Confusing and erratic memories

**CONFUSING AND ERRATIC MEMORIES**

_SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA_

Ellen stirred and yawned, she took her cup of coffee and sipped it, thoughtfully, "I was thinking of what you told me last week."

Jo casted her a questioning look.

Ellen kept on talking, "About your husband. Did you call your mother? Did your mother tell you if your husband called her after your leaving?"

Jo sighed and rested her cup of coffee on the kitchen's table, staring at the sunlight reflecting on the spoon while she recollected her thoughts. She nodded, "Yeah, I talked to my mother, and, as expected, my husband called her after my leaving. He went to my mother's town too, in order to check I wasn't there. My mother knows I'm here, but she didn't say anything about it. She told him she doesn't know where I am. I don't know if he believed her or not, but he hasn't found me, yet, and it means he doesn't know I am in Atlanta."

Ellen massaged her temples with her index and middle finger, "It gives me headaches. It's scaring. How can you stand it? Go to the Police Department and report him. I'll come with you, if you want to. In Atlanta for sure we'll find a policewoman to talk to, since you are so uncomfortable about talking to a man. Then, Atlanta Police Department will report it to Hazzard Police Department. Was it so difficult to talk to that deputy? Well, he'll know it through Atlanta Police Department."

Jo shook her head, "I am so ashamed of what I told to that deputy."

Ellen raised her eyebrows.

Jo smiled in discomfort, "When I entered the Police Department, my courage faded. Enos," she glanced at her confused friend, "the deputy, smiled and asked me why I was there. My knees almost bent, my heart raced in my chest and my mouth turned dry. I know that guy since when I moved to Hazzard; he has always been the deputy, except for a couple of years he lived in L.A. He is kind and honest. So, I thought I could talk to him, I thought I could report my husband to him, but when I entered the Police Department, when I finally had the chance to talk to him, face to face, my courage was gone." She had a deep sigh and sipped her coffee, taking a brief pause, "I found an excuse about my being there, common routine at Hazzard Police Department. The deputy wasn't surprised of my excuse, so I reported something totally banal. At that point I burst out crying."

Ellen gently caressed Jo's hand.

"I cried and cried because I was ashamed of my weakness. I don't know how it happened, but I found myself crying with my face buried against his chest while he tried to comfort me." She had a brief and bitter laugh, "what a pitiful situation! And, to complicate things even more, in order to justify my crying, I told him I was so sad 'cause my mother recently died."

Ellen opened her eyes wide, "Did you tell him your mother was dead?"

Jo covered her face with her hand, "It's pitiful, isn't it? And stupid. I know. But it was the only thing I thought in that moment in order to explain my weeping. I told him not to tell anybody about my mother, anyway, 'cause it was too painful to have people asking me about it and I would have talked about it to people when I was ready: another pitiful lie in order to cover the previous lie. I feel ashamed even now. Ashamed for my weakness, ashamed of my lies and ashamed for my mother."

Ellen had a deep sigh and stared at Jo, thoughtfully, "So, if your husband tells everybody you are away from Hazzard because of your mother, and the deputy thinks your mother is dead… maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

Ellen shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe the deputy is goin' to ponder what's the truth, and so trying to understand the real reason of your leaving."

Jo intertwined her fingers and looked at her hands on the table, "That day, the deputy asked me why…" she had a deep breath before to spit out what weighed on her heart, "… my bruises. He noticed some bruises on my arms, and, again, I told him a banal excuse, a new lie. Maybe you're right; maybe he is goin' to wonder about why I left Hazzard. But it doesn't change anything. I'm here, now, and I won't go back to Hazzard, never again. Since when I left Hazzard, I haven't called anybody though I have good friends there. I don't know anything about Hazzard since my leaving, the town could have been swallowed by a big black hole, for what I know now."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

A week passed since someone painted his bloody omen for Enos on the deputy's patrol car, and everything seemed back to normality, though the Dukes and Enos kept their eyes open wide, eyes looking at Hazzard's folks in a new way.

Enos came out the Police Department, smiling and beckoning at people around him, his usual kindness not gone.

"Mrs Marple, let me help you to carry your bag." Enos came closer Mrs Marple and took her heavy bag, "you shouldn't bring something so heavy, Mrs Marple."

"Oh Enos, you are so kind," Mrs Marple walked by Enos' side while they crossed Hazzard's square, happy of his help.

She shook her head and sighed, "I am so worried for Mrs White."

Enos turned to the old woman, "Mrs White?"

Mrs Marple pointed at the near shop, "Mrs White, Josephine's mother. She is ill, again, so Josephine is staying by her side, now. It's why Josephine isn't here."

Enos nodded, "Josephine, yeah. I haven't met her, recently, in effect. It isn't the first time she leaves Hazzard for helping her mother." He suddenly stared at Mrs Marple in confusion, "I thought Josephine's mother died."

Mrs Marple looked surprised, "Died? No! Why do you think Josephine's mother is dead, Enos?"

Enos scratched his nape, "I don't know. Probably I'm getting confused with someone else." In front of Mrs Marple's house, he gave her the bag and smiled, walking away, "Have a nice day, Mrs Marple."

Walking to the Hazzard's Bank, his smile faded. A pesky fog was now forming into his mind, and he started to wonder why he was so sure about the death of Mrs White; he shook his head in order to push away that fog, wondering for how long he was going to live with those false memories and for how long his memory about the months before his injuring was going to be like a blank page with just some lines surfacing on it, from time to time, but confusing and erratic lines.

* * *

><p>After the sunset, the Dukes' farm and the cars parked in front of the farm were wrapped in the night's veil, just the light coming out the kitchen's window kept on its battle against the total darkness, pushing it away.<p>

Inside the kitchen, the Dukes' voices interchanged in their updating about every possible new clue, evidence or supposition.

Bo's eyes lingered on his cousins, uncle and Enos, "Today I have finally talked to Emily. Darcy was with her during the night Enos was injured. They planned to get married next month. Emily is Darcy's alibi."

Luke nodded, "Unless Emily is lying. Or unless she didn't hear him leaving for a while during the night."

Daisy shook her head and stared at Luke, "Darcy and Emily are happy. I can't believe you really think –"

Luke interrupted her, "No. Sincerely, Daisy, I don't think so. But I don't know what to think."

Bo stood up and walked to the kitchen's window, stirring, "It isn't easy. I hate to question folks about what they did and where they were the night Enos was injured. No matter how much I try to be tactful, it's a thorny topic for everybody. Even if I manage to make them comfortable about my trying to understand if that night they saw or heard something suspicious, everybody is perfectly aware that the culprit is inside Hazzard, someone who lives in Hazzard. So, everybody is perfectly aware to be a possible suspect."

Luke sighed, "We have talked to any guy Daisy dated in the past, and everybody has an alibi. It was night, and it seems everybody was at home with respective families - wives, children and also mothers and fathers."

Bo turned to Luke, he folded his arms and rested his back against the wall, "Unless someone left during the night, and nobody noticed it, as you said."

Luke rested his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers, "It's a possibility, but we can't prove it without evidences."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "Right. Beside the guys Daisy dated in the past, we should focus also on everybody who has had a crush on Daisy."

Enos smiled, his first words during the evening, "It means nearly any young man in Hazzard, uncle Jesse."

Daisy turned to Enos, catching his sweet and shy smile, in his voice and features no sign of jealousy for her previous love affair.

Bo came closer Enos, resting his hand on Enos' shoulder, "Enos, what about Mr O' Connor? Did someone buy red paint at his Paint Supply, recently?"

Enos shook his head, "Everybody here buys paint. Red… yellow… white… every color." He looked at his hands on the table, thoughtfully, before to raise his head and stare at uncle Jesse, "Did Mrs White die? I remember Mrs White coming to Hazzard, from time to time, after her daughter Josephine's wedding. She was a kind woman."

Uncle Jesse looked at Enos, opening his eyes in surprise, "Why are you talking of Mrs White, now?" His eyes glanced at his niece and nephews, sharing a same surprise mixed with confusion and some worrisome, then he stared at Enos again, "Time ago Mrs White had some serious health problem, and Josephine stayed by her side for a while, but, for what I know, Mrs White is fine, now."

Enos sighed, "Mrs Marple told me that Josephine is again by her mother's side, so I suppose Mrs White is having a relapse. I don't know why I recall Mrs White died some months ago." He scratched his nape, "Did someone die during the last months? I don't remember very much of the two months before my injuring, so I think it's a false memory."

Uncle Jesse caressed his beard, "Uh… well… Mrs Chapman, Jane's mother, died during the two months before your injuring. She was a old woman."

Enos nodded, whispering, "I guess I confused Jane's mother with Josephine's mother. The more I try to remember, the more things get confused in my mind."

"Enos, don't force yourself to recall what happened before your injuring." Uncle Jesse stood up, "I think it's time to go to sleep."

* * *

><p>Late in that night, the fire lighted the total darkness around the farm. The barn was burning; its flames were trying to reach the black sky, turning that black into red, and the pungent smoke was finding its way through the farm's vents.<p>

The fire's crackling mixed with the animals' terrific shouts.

"THE BARN IS BURNING!" Uncle Jesse ran out the farm.

The Dukes and Enos ran toward the barn, their mind still full of their dreams and nightmares while that real nightmare filled their eyes, pierced his mind and reached their heart. They buttoned their shirts in their frenetic dressing while they approached the barn, trying to understand why and how it happened.

"The animals! MAUDINE!" Totally forgetting of the fire, in her ears just the animals' shouts, Daisy ran to the barn and entered it.

Uncle Jesse casted a frantic look at his nephews, "BO! LUKE! WE NEED WATER, AND BUCKETS!"

Enos ran after Daisy, "DAISY! IT'S DANGEROUS!"

Bo and Luke stopped on their way to the farm, forgetting the water and buckets and running back to the barn, "ENOS! DAISY! STAY AWAY!"

Suddenly the barn emitted a terrific crack and collapsed on the animals, and on Enos and Daisy too, while Bo and Luke stopped their run, turning into sort of waxworks.

Shocked by that vision, uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke looked at each other, in their eyes just anguish and pain, their faces pale and their lips livid, then their eyes focused again on what remained of the burning barn.

The voracious fire was painting a reddish nuance on the white walls of the farm; in that nuance, something red stood out, just three letters:

D I E


	19. The pungent smell of smoke

**THE PUNGENT SMELL OF SMOKE**

The rain pelted down, its continuous roar outside the farm mimicking the continuous clatter inside. The sky was grey and low on the horizon, in the air still the pungent smell of burnt despite the rain; near the farm, what remained of the barn kept on emitting smoke, a dark grey smoke converging in the grey above.

Inside the farm, people's dresses reflected the grey of that smoke and sky, various shades of grey, and black too.

Uncle Jesse stood in the middle of the living room in his best dress, grey jacket on grey trousers; his dress for the best days and for the worst too, and that day was one of his worst ones. He answered politely to people offering their condolences and shook hands with everyone, accepting their caring words and also their hugs. By his side, Bo and Luke acted the same.

Boss Hogg came closer uncle Jesse, "When I called Enos idiot, when I yelled at him because he destroyed my patrol cars and ripped my uniforms, I didn't mean it, really. And about Daisy, I really appreciated her working at the Boar's Nest, though - "

Uncle Jesse nodded, "I know you liked Enos and Daisy, some way or another, J.D., though sometimes you were harsh to them. I really appreciate your bein' here and your words."

Lulu Hogg hugged her husband, burying her face against his shoulder, "Oh poor Enos, and poor Daisy. I can't believe it really happened."

Rosco stared at the Dukes' patriarch, his voice begging, "Oh, please Jesse! Tell me it's a mistake. Please! Tell me Enos and Daisy's bodies aren't in the barn. Please! Maybe someone kidnapped them before they entered the barn, or after they came out, and we have still the chance to save them. Maybe they're still alive, somewhere out there. Years ago we all believed Bo and Luke were dead when The General Lee crashed into the pond, but they weren't inside the car," his voice turned more and more begging, "it happened also to me, you all though I was dead whereas I -"

Uncle Jesse shook his head, resting his hand on Rosco's shoulder, "I'd like to believe Enos and Daisy are safe, Rosco. But I saw them entering the barn during the fire, and I saw the barn falling down while they were still inside. Nobody came out the barn. Nothing and nobody was spared by the flames's violence; it's just a mass of ash, now, so I can't even recognize and bury my niece." His voice cracked, "It happened, and I can just accept it and carry this grief."

Bo looked away in order to hide his tears and rested his hand on uncle Jesse's shoulder, white bandages covering his hands as show of his attempt to save Enos and Daisy.

Rosco squeezed his hat and looked down at the floor, "I'm goin' to find the culprit of it. It's a case of arson and homicide, not an accident; the word paint on the farm's wall is a proof of it. I'm goin' to find the culprit, Jesse, I promise you. I can't bring Enos and Daisy back to life, but the culprit will pay for it."

By Rosco's side, Cletus nodded, "And I'm goin' to help you, Sheriff."

Luke patted Cletus's shoulder, "Thank you, Cletus. Thank you, Rosco. Bo, uncle Jesse and I are goin' to help you. We can't find peace until the culprit is still out there, free."

Standing in the middle of the living room, Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse accepted people's condolences while the whole town showed them its pain.

Slowly, the whole town flew into the Dukes' farm and then poured out; in the evening, just the Dukes (minus Daisy) and a putative Duke (Cooter) moved inside the farm, while the rain, natural and efficient firefighter, kept on roaring, and the barn's ruins kept on smoking.

* * *

><p>His look lost, his elbows on the kitchen's table and his best dress on, Cooter looked like a totally different man than the usual greasy mechanic. "Sweet Daisy," he shook his head, "and poor Enos." He suddenly hit the table with his strong fist, "I HATE who did it."<p>

Bo came closer Cooter, he sat at the kitchen's table and rested his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Stop it, Cooter. Now that everybody is gone and we are alone, we should talk." He slowly removed the bandages from his hands while Cooter stared at him.

"Your hands aren't injured!" Cooter looked alternatively at Bo's hands and face, "What does it mean?"

Bo shrugged and smiled, "Early in the morning Doc Appleby came to the farm; everybody knows it. My bandages are a convincing explanation for his coming."

Cooter opened his eyes wide, "If you aren't injured," his eyes lingered on uncle Jesse and Luke too, "if none of you is injured, why did Doc Appleby come to the farm? For sure not for Enos and Daisy, since there was nothing to do for them." He half closed his eyes, thoughtfully, "What does it mean?" His eyes opened wide again, "Are you trying to tell me that – "

"Wait, and be patient." Luke reached Bo and Cooter at the kitchen's table, "Do you know Gus McCormick?"

Cooter scratched his head in confusion, "Of course. He is a close friend of uncle Jesse. He was a moonshiner until the accident that killed your parents. After that accident he decided to change his life, he left Hazzard and now he lives somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains. From time to time he comes to Hazzard in order to sell what he produces – poultry, apples, dairy – and to visit his ol' friends. I met him, yesterday; he was goin' to leave today, early in the morning, after visiting uncle Jesse as usual. Why are you asking me of Gus?" Something pierced his confusion, "Are you telling me – "

Again, Luke interrupted him, "Gus was also a good friend of Enos' father. Now, listen."

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

Bo and Luke stopped on their way to the farm, forgetting of the water and buckets and running back to the barn, "ENOS! DAISY! STAY AWAY!"

Suddenly the barn emitted a terrific crack and collapsed on the animals, and on Enos and Daisy too, while Bo and Luke stopped their run, turning into sort of waxworks.

Shocked by that vision, uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke looked at each other, in their eyes just anguish and pain, their faces pale and their lips livid, then their eyes focused again on what remained of the burning barn.

A screen made of grey smoke enveloped the barn, and through the smoke a vague shadow was coming closer them, slowly turning from a vague shadow to a clearer and clearer figure. Enos walked through the smoke, Daisy in his arms; approaching his friends, finally away from the burning barn, he bent down, coughing, and rested Daisy on the ground.

Heavy drops started to fall from the dark sky, efficient remedy for the fire, more efficient than Bo and Luke's buckets and also than the whole Fire Department of Hazzard.

"Enos! Daisy!"

Uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke knelt beside Enos and Daisy then they helped them to walk to the farm. Daisy hugged uncle Jesse, sobbing against his shoulder, while Enos walked between Bo and Luke, his arms on his friends' shoulders.

Uncle Jesse entered the living room and drove Daisy to the couch, helping her to sit down, then he gently touched her left arm, "Daisy, let me see your arm. Please." He carefully looked at the red skin and sighed, "Does it hurt?"

Daisy nodded and coughed.

Uncle Jesse turned to Bo and Luke, "What 'bout Enos?"

On the near armchair, Enos was showing the palm of his hands to his friends, his skin showing the same signs of burnt as Daisy.

"Bo, Luke, bring Enos and Daisy to the guestroom and let them lying down; take some clean towels and soak them with fresh water, then wash Enos and Daisy's burns. Meanwhile, I'm goin' to call Doc Appleby." Uncle Jesse caressed Daisy's hair and walked to the phone, while Bo and Luke followed his orders.

When Doc Appleby arrived at the farm, a pale sun was trying to pierce the wall of clouds and smoke, changing the dark into a metallic grey.

Sitting at the kitchen's table, Bo and uncle Jesse were waiting for Doc Appleby while he took care of Enos and Daisy, whereas Luke walked around the kitchen's table as a lion in cage, his look down at the floor and his eyes thoughtful. Nobody spoke.

Finally, Doc Appleby entered the kitchen, "Enos and Daisy are fine, don't worry. Their burns are goin' to heal."

Uncle Jesse stood up and walked to Doc Appleby, "Thanks. We have lost our barn and what was inside it. It's a big loss, for us, but at least nobody got seriously injured."

Doc Appleby nodded and rested his hand on uncle Jesse's shoulder, "I'm sorry for your barn, Jesse." He glanced at the guestroom's close door and then looked again at uncle Jesse, "Enos and Daisy are fine, a bit shocked and in pain, but fine; their burns aren't serious, fortunately, but painful. I'm goin' to give them a pain-killer. May I have some water, please?"

Uncle Jesse walked to the cupboard and took two glasses from it, "Of course."

A gentle knock at the door interrupted that strange atmosphere; uncle Jesse turned to the living room, his arms raised still in the act of taking two glasses from the cupboard and his eyes glancing at Luke and Bo in a silent question.

Bo stood up and walked to the door, "Probably it's someone from the near farms, wondering what happened." He opened the door.

Gus McCormick was standing there, looking at Bo in shock, "What happened to your barn?"

Bo shook his head, "Come in, Gus. It's a long story." He walked to the couch and sank into it, sighing.

Standing in the middle of the living room, Luke thoughtfully observed Gus; after his careful look he snapped, "I have a plan. Gus, we need your help."

Bo and uncle Jesse looked at each other and then at Luke, their voices fusing, "What plan?"

Luke didn't answer them and walked to Doc Appleby who was staring at everybody in confusion, two glasses full of water in his hands.

Luke rested his hands on Doc Appleby's shoulders, he glanced at the still close door of the guestroom and stared at Doc Appleby, eyes into eyes, his voice low, "Doc Appleby, I know that I'm goin' to ask you something crazy but…" he glanced at Bo, uncle Jesse and Gus, "… please, give Enos a strong sedative. I need him asleep, deeply asleep, for several hours. Give Daisy just a pain-killer and give Enos a sedative. Please."

Doc Appleby's eyes opened wide in surprise, "Luke Duke! You are kidding, aren't you? What about my professional ethics?"

Luke had a deep sigh, "Please. I'm goin' to explain you everything when Enos will be asleep. I'm not asking you to harm Enos, just to have him asleep for a while. It's important, and we have to hurry. It's for Enos' sake."

Doc Appleby looked seriously at Luke, "I hope you have a really good reason for it, Luke, 'cause you're asking me to drug Enos for his sake. It's a nonsense."

Luke shook his head with impatience, "It isn't a nonsense. I'm goin' to explain you everything, but I can't do it now. Trust me. I don't want to harm Enos but to protect him; it's what any of us wants to do, protect him. Please, help me. It's for Enos' sake, and for Daisy's sake too."

* * *

><p>Cooter listened to Luke. The more Luke talked, the more Cooter's eyes and mouth opened wide; when Luke stopped, Cooter's surprised look turned into a laugh of relief and an amused clapping, "Enos and Daisy are alive! WOW!"<p>

Uncle Jesse smiled and nodded, "Sorry if we let you think they were dead, but we had to be as much convincing as possible during the wake. For sure, among folks who came here, there was also the responsible of everything."

Cooter looked at uncle Jesse, "Why did you decide to let people think Enos and Daisy died in the fire? What's your plan?"

Uncle Jesse turned serious, "Cooter, you can't fight if you don't know who is attacking you. The fire showed us how much dangerous that man can be, despite our guarding Enos, so we decided to protect Enos in the only possible way: having him away from Hazzard until we'll find that man. Besides, don't forget Enos' character: after the fire, he would have decided to leave the farm and go back at the Boarding House in order to not involve us in this fight." Uncle Jesse shook his head, "the fire was a threat for us, beside Enos, and Enos knows it. This is the reason why Enos would have decided to face it all by himself, protecting us, but this is also the reason why we are even more involved, now."

Bo rested his elbows on the table, intertwined his fingers and stared at Cooter, "It's a sort of organized withdrawal in order to have the time to organize our troops. If that man believes that Enos is dead, he'll be like deactivated, giving us the time to think of a plan for unmasking him."

Cooter looked thoughtfully down at the table then he looked at Luke, "And what about Daisy?"

Luke stood up and walked to the cupboard, resting his back against it and folding his arms, "If the reason of that man's anger is his jealousy about Enos and Daisy, as we think, Daisy too is in danger, and Enos knows it. After killing Enos, that man could turn his attention on Daisy, trying to have her, some way or another, or trying to get back at her for her rejection."

Bo nodded, "Right. This is the main reason why we decided to send Daisy away from Hazzard: we want to protect her. The second reason is that we want Daisy to protect Enos from himself."

Uncle Jesse had a big sigh, "That boy wouldn't stay away from Hazzard if he knew Daisy is still here and still in danger; he would try to come back."

Luke nodded, "This is Daisy's task: persuading Enos that it's the only thing we can do, actually; persuading Enos that their staying away from Hazzard is for HER sake, and so giving him the responsibility to protect her, instead of feeling put aside." He looked down at the floor and shrugged, "I'm not proud of how I forced my decision on Enos and of what I asked to Doc Appleby, but I had no time to persuade Enos 'bout my idea; I wanted him, Daisy and Gus away from Hazzard before people started to arrive at the farm because of the fire. If someone had seen Enos and Daisy, or Gus, my plan would have been frustrated. I'll apologize to Enos for what I did to him, but I prefer to apologize because of my behavior instead of crying on his grave 'cause I didn't manage to protect him. Now it's Daisy's turn to let this plan work."

Uncle Jesse smiled, "My niece is perfectly able to accomplish her task of persuading Enos to stay away from Hazzard for a while."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

His eyes still closed, Enos inhaled the fresh air entering the room, a gentle breeze lacking the pungent smell of smoke. When he rubbed his eyes, the rough fabric against his skin recalled him of the fire and of Doc Appleby.

He opened his eyes and stared at his hands in front of him, hands covered with white bandages.

He sat up and looked at the reddish nuance of the sunset entering the window.

A distant alarm rang in his mind: that nuance was out of time, and not just that nuance was wrong. He stared at the high pines outside the window (not Hazzard) and at the small room around him (not the farm): everything was out of place and time.

He started to panic, hundreds of alarms now exploding in his mind, the feeling of confusion and fear biting him like a rabid wolf; it was the same feeling he experienced when he woke up at the Atlanta Medical Center for the first time.

His panic stopped when Daisy opened the door and entered the room.

"Hi sugar. How do you feel?" She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around her chest; her left arm was covered with a white bandage.

He knew that shy and embarrassed smile, he knew that way of shrugging her shoulders.

He knew she was going to tell him something he wasn't going to like; he knew she was going to try to persuade him about something he wasn't going to like. And he knew he was going to let her persuade him, in their usual dance of believable and making believable. It was why he loved her, after all, her acting in total good faith and her trying to do always the right thing, like him (though, unlike him, she was able to lie in order to fulfill her sense of justice).

He had a deep breath and stared at her, "Daisy Duke, what have you done?"


	20. The stars far overhead

**THE STARS FAR OVERHEAD**

Enos had a deep breath and stared at Daisy, "Daisy Duke, what have you done?"

Her arms wrapped around her chest, Daisy walked to the bed and sat on it, "You aren't goin' to like it, Enos. But, please, listen to me before to interrupt me. OK?"

Enos scratched his nape. She was defensive, and it meant it was worse than he thought of. He sighed and stared at her, his voice soft, "OK. Now, please, tell me where we are and how I came here, 'cause I don't remember a thing since this morning and since the fire, and it drives me crazy. I have already had enough problems with my memory."

Daisy had a deep breath and looked outside the window, "We are in a cabin near Gus McCormick's house. See, Gus came to the farm this morning, after the fire, so Luke asked him to bring us here, thinking it's a good way to protect you and me from that man. While we are away from Hazzard, Bo and Luke will find the man who is threatening you." She glanced at him and prevented his upcoming question, "You don't remember anything 'cause Luke asked Doc Appleby to give you a sedative." She caught his shaking his head in disappointment and prevented his reproach, "If we had talked to you 'bout our plan, you wouldn't have accepted to leave Hazzard, so – "

"So you forced your decision on me!" He frowned, stood up and walked to the window.

Daisy stared at him while he looked outside the window; she knew that silence and that frown: disappointment.

She remained sitting on the bed, "Enos. You are right. We are ashamed of our behavior. Now, tell me, honestly, if we had asked you to leave Hazzard, would you have accepted it?"

He turned to her, "Of course not! That man wants me, so I am involved in it, totally involved, more than everybody else. I should face it instead of running away. I should be in Hazzard, now, helping uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke to find who burnt your barn. Your barn burnt because of me, and I can't accept it. I should have gone back at the Boarding House, leaving your farm in order to drive the attention and anger of that man away from you. I shouldn't stay here!"

Daisy stood up and walked in front of him, "We perfectly know you would have left the farm, goin' back to the Boarding House and so bein' in danger. And it's why we decided to force our decision on you. I apologize for our behavior, Enos, but we just want to protect you. Things were becoming too much dangerous in Hazzard. We can't fight if we don't know who is attacking us, we can't protect you, so we decided to think of your safety, first, and then of finding that man. And your safety is away from Hazzard, now."

He rubbed his face in frustration, "You put me aside! I am not just a victim of that man, Daisy, I'm a cop too. And my job is to find and arrest the man who burnt your barn. You're treating me like an incompetent and vulnerable cop, putting me aside while Bo and Luke are doin' what's MY duty!"

Daisy shook her head in disappointment: his pride was his and her worst enemy. She had a step to him and grabbed his arms, "Enos! Nobody is treating you like an incompetent and vulnerable cop! You know how much Bo, Luke, uncle Jesse and I respect you; you know how many times we asked your help because of your bein' a good and reliable cop. We don't want anymore to go to the Atlanta Medical Center to visit you. We don't want to see you that way… or worse." She swallowed against the lump in her throat and she stared into his eyes, "We can't. We just want to protect you from that man. We love you, Enos. We couldn't let you leave the farm and face that man all by yourself. Come on, admit it: if we hadn't decided to bring you away from Hazzard, you would have tried to solve things all by yourself."

He averted his eyes and looked down at the floor, "Yeah. It's what I would have done. After burning your barn, that man could decide to hurt you, uncle Jesse or the boys as revenge for your helping me."

Daisy squeezed his arms, "I think that man burnt our barn not just for revenge but also 'cause he knew it was a way to bring you back to town, away from our farm and so more vulnerable."

Enos looked into her eyes, "I can't let uncle Jesse and the boys face that man while I'm away from Hazzard, hidden like a coward. He could decide to take revenge on them because of their hiding me. They are in danger, and I can't let them take this risk because of me. Moreover, what would folks think? They would think that Enos Strate is a coward and he is running away. I know I am naïve, shy and clumsy; I know it; everybody knows it. But I have never been a coward. I have never run away from my duty. I have to go back to Hazzard. Please. I appreciate your efforts to protect me but I can't accept this trick." He gently parted from her grasp and walked to the door.

Her heart beating furiously in her chest, she looked at him walking away, "Enos! Nobody is thinking you are a coward, and nobody is goin' to take revenge on uncle Jesse and the boys. 'Cause nobody is thinking you are running away." She paused, holding her breath and finally let the bomb fall, "People think we died in the fire."

His hand already on the doorknob, Enos turned to her, "What?"

Daisy had a deep breath, "Uncle Jesse and the boys told everybody we died during the fire." She folded her arms and shrugged, "It nearly happened for real, in effect. The barn is a mass of ashes, now, so it isn't so difficult to let people believe we died during the fire, trapped inside the barn while we were trying to save our animals. So, there's no need to worry about people thinking you are running away or about that man threatening uncle Jesse and the boys in order to know where you are."

He blinked, he shook his head, he turned to the door and he left the room.

Daisy followed him through the small living room to the porch.

He sat on the swinging chair and stared at the high pines in front of the cabin, "I can't believe you really told everybody…" He rubbed his face, "Sometimes you drive me crazy, Daisy. So, what's Luke's plan, now? I guess it's Luke's plan, as usual."

Daisy walked to the swinging chair and sat by his side, "They are goin' to find a way to unmask that man. They haven't decided how to do it, yet. For starters, they are goin' to observe how people react to your death. Maybe that man – "

"Are you telling me they have no plan, yet?" Enos turned to her, his eyes open wide, "Maybe that man… what? Are they thinking he is goin' to dance on my grave, so showing his real feelings for me? Trust me, it won't happen."

Daisy frowned, "Don't be so sarcastic, Enos! It isn't your style. I know you're disappointed because of our plan and because you have to stay here 'til Bo and Luke unmask that man. It could be a long time and you hate to stay still, I know."

Enos stood up and walked down the porch's stairs, he stopped in the middle of the glade in front of the cabin and rested his hands on his hips. He finally turned to her, his hands still on his hips, "I don't have the slightest intention to stay here for a long time, Daisy, letting people think I am dead and letting Bo and Luke solve the whole thing."

Daisy sighed and reached him in the glade. He could be so stubborn to drive her crazy, but she wasn't going to surrender; she perfectly knew the button to push: the sense of duty that was pushing him away from that cabin could turn into the reason for staying. "And what about me, Enos? Did you forget why that man hates you so much? It's because of me, and at some point he could decide to use me against you, some way or another. Do you recall what happened with Scanlon? Uncle Jesse and the boys are worried for you, and for me too. I am safer here than in Hazzard."

A shadow of worrisome crossed his eyes, his voice a whisper as he was talking to himself, his look down at the ground, "This is what I fear the most. I talked to Bo and Luke 'bout it, some days ago." His hands on his hips, he kept on looking at the ground then he stared at her, "I don't want you to be involved in this. If something happened to you because of me, I wouldn't forgive myself for it."

Daisy nodded and had a step to him, she rested her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes, "This is the reason why we should stay here. Hazzard now is too much dangerous both for you and me. It isn't a matter of bein' coward, Enos, but of self-defense. Sometimes, in order to win a fight, it's better to withdraw. Uncle Jesse and the boys aren't putting you aside; we are a team, and we fight for the same reason, though with different roles. Something similar happened when Nervous Norman was after me and I stayed at your home because it was dangerous staying at the farm. Well, think of it as the same thing. Was I a coward, then?"

He silently stared at her, eyes into eyes. He finally smiled, a smile of resignation, and walked back to the swinging chair, "I know what you're doin', Daisy, you're trying to give me an active role in my bein' here. I trust Luke and his plans, and I trust also uncle Jesse's wisdom. If they think that staying away from Hazzard is the best thing to do, actually, OK, I'm goin' to stay here, but I'm not planning to stay here for a long time."

She reached him on the swinging chair, "OK. Give uncle Jesse and the boys some time to unmask that man, and if it doesn't work we're goin' to help them with a new plan." She looked at the sky turning dark blue from its previous reddish nuance, some stars and the moon already sparkling in that blue. She stirred and yawned, "It's been a long day," she turned to him, "do you want me to cook something for dinner?"

He nodded, his eyes at the sky, "Yeah. And after dinner I'm goin' to stay here, looking at the sky. I can't sleep, now; I spent almost the whole day sleeping." No reproach in his voice, he glanced at her and smiled amused, then he looked up at the starry sky, "I love this kind of deep blue, the kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words, the color of a completely closed-in night." He scratched his hair, blushing, "Never mind. On nights like this, when the air is so clear, I end up saying things I usually wouldn't. I talk as if I have no audience but the stars, far overhead. Sorry."

Daisy smiled and kissed his cheek, "Enos, you are very very sweet. Now, I am goin' to cook dinner; meanwhile, enjoy the sky." She stood up and entered the cabin.

* * *

><p>The call of an owl woke Daisy up.<p>

Sitting up, she stared at the room her, recalling it wasn't her bedroom at the farm. She rubbed her eyes and stirred.

Enos wasn't sleeping by her side in that wide bed, and she wasn't surprised of it.

In the moonlight filling the room, she walked to the door, she opened it and entered the living room, wondering if Enos was still on the porch looking at the sky or …

… Or if he was sleeping on the couch. She smiled at Enos' figure huddled up on the couch, she took the blanket fallen on the floor probably while he was turning round and she covered him.

She walked to the cabin's door and came out, sitting on the swinging chair and looking up at the starry sky.

She wanted her family unmask the man who hurt Enos, but at the same time she didn't dislike the idea of spending some time with Enos, just him and her away from everybody else.

"_I love this kind of deep blue, the kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words, the color of a completely closed-in night… On nights like this, when the air is so clear, I end up saying things I usually wouldn't. I talk as if I have no audience but the stars, far overhead._"

Just him and her talking of things they usually wouldn't, no audience but the stars far overhead.

She shivered in the cold air of the night and she came back to the cabin, the moonlight guiding her through the living room to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong><em>"On nights like this when the air is so clear, you end up saying things you ordinarily wouldn't. Without even noticing what you're doing, you open up your heart and just start talking to the person next to you—you talk as if you have no audience but the glittering stars, far overhead." <em>**

**_"it'll be this kind of deep blue. The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words —the color of a completely closed-in night._****_"_**

**Banana Yoshimoto (did I ever say I love Banana Yoshimoto? Oh, yes, I think I did.)**

**A little final add: blu notte (Italian), my nick, means "blue night", the kind of deep blue you can see at night. I love this shade of blue, and it's also the title of a song of my favorite italian singer. :-)**

**Stay tuned for more. A lot of things are going to happen, it will be a roller coaster. **


	21. The botany of feelings

**THE BOTANY OF FEELINGS**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

When Enos gently spread the ointment on Daisy's forearm, thousands of needles pierced her burnt skin; she bit her lower lip and held her breath until the fresh ointment eased her pain, and her memories too.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

The smoke entered Daisy's lungs and eyes.

She closed her eyes and coughed while the barn crackled around her.

Her right hand on her mouth and her eyes half closed she walked toward the animals' shouts, just her left arm instinctively stretched in front of her to guide her.

When a small piece of burning wood fell from the barn's roof, hitting her left arm, she stopped, looking terrified at the fire spreading along her shirt's sleeve.

An excruciating pain made her shout, her lungs inhaling the fiery-hot smoke and her shout turning into a convulsive coughing.

In that moment, the fire spreading along her left sleeve and her lungs burning, she realized she was going to die.

The cough shook her like the wind shaking a leaf on a tree. She knelt down, her legs too weak to sustain her; in her eyes tears because of the pain and the smoke.

Two hands patted her left forearm, putting the fire out.

She buried her face against the wide chest near her, protecting her mouth, nose and eyes from the smoke; she wrapped her arms around the neck of the man who was taking her in his arms.

Bo? Luke?

A sudden crack told her there was nothing else she could do for the barn and for the animals inside; the barn was collapsing, but she was alive.

She opened her eyes and she looked up at the sky and at the man who was bringing her away from the barn.

Enos.

* * *

><p>Enos dressed her injured left arm and smiled, "Doc Appleby said to spread this ointment and then dress the burns every day. In a couple of weeks, we'll be OK," he glanced at her, "it's what he said before to give me the sedative." He shook his head and sighed, "I'm glad you brought with you ointment and bandages."<p>

Her left forearm finally covered with bandages, Daisy took Enos's hands in hers, "And now it's your turn." She gently caressed the palm of his hands, "Enos. You saved my life. Thank you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and she kissed him.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

Jo put the receiver down and sighed.

Ellen entered the living room and looked at Jo's tight features, "Jo! Forget about it. We have already talked about it!"

Jo nodded and walked to the couch, sinking into it, "You're right. But I can't help but being confused. I hate Nick but at the same time I love him. I ran away from him but at the same time I want to talk again with him … and understand. I still think that… maybe… I have exaggerated things."

Ellen sat by Jo's side, "Did you call him?"

Jo shook her head, "No. Fortunately, no."

Ellen sighed in relief, "Jo. We have already talked about it. Just some time ago you told me that Nick would kill you and your supposed lover if he thought you're cheating him, and now you want to talk to him. Sincerely, I don't think he could kill anybody, but I think he is an abusive husband, and it's enough to run away."

Jo stared at Ellen, "This is the point, Ellen. I think of him as a possible killer, and the day after I start to wonder if I am exaggerating things. I start to ask myself if he was really so bad or if I am crazy! Maybe he was right when he told I have some emotional problems!"

Ellen rested her hand on Jo's shoulder, "And we have already talked about it, too. Jo, you have been the victim of a manipulative man. When you met him you fell in love with him 'cause he looked like your prince charming. It's called love bombing. After you married him, he started to control you as his puppet, in a really subtle way, so that you didn't even realize it. You started to feel jealous, depressed, anxious, and also angry, but you didn't realize why, while he blamed you for your negative emotions. You came to the point to think he was right, wondering what's wrong with you, and accepting also his slaps, as if you deserved it. Do you understand it?"

Jo nodded, "You're right; before meeting him I have never felt so negative emotions. I started to think that something was really wrong with me and he had a really big patience with me. I came to the point I thought to deserve his slaps and his way to grab my arms and squeeze. My instinct shouted me to run away while my mind made me doubt of my mental health. I am still both attracted and repulsed of him, my instinct and mind are still arguing."

Ellen smiled and gently squeezed Jo's shoulder, "This is the point, Jo. You faced a sort of brain washing, a subtle and slow manipulation. But your instinct can't be manipulated, and it's why it keeps on shouting you to run away, but the more you stay with Nick the more he can manipulate your emotions, sense of worth and also sense of reality. It's why you have to stay away from him; any new contact with him is new poison for your mind. If you carefully think of it, I think your instinct was already shouting to you to run away since the first time you met him, when he still acted like a prince charming. And, I bet too, he talked to you about some crazy ex-girlfriend or about his painful relationship with an abusive parent or relative, just to hook you in his deep and complex character: the poor and kind guy survived to a rough life."

Jo remained silent, her eyes half closed. She finally nodded, "You're right, both things you're saying are right. You know, since then, when I was happy and everything seemed fine, sometimes I felt there was something wrong, a subtle sense of discomfort I couldn't explain. Thinking now about it, probably my instinct was trying to tell me he was wearing a mask, but he was so convincing I couldn't trust my guts. Not to mention everything he said about his mother and sister, two evils, and I believed him though I never met them."

Ellen nodded, "Trust your guts. It's what I have learnt along my life, especially after my past job at the psychiatric department, and especially after my experience with women abused by their husbands. The dynamic is always the same. Your negative emotions weren't your emotions, but the emotions he projected on you, then blaming you of those emotions and trapping you in the blaming trap. You can't win with a manipulative man; your only chance is run away and go back to your old self, when you were a strong and positive woman. 'cause I know you pretty well, Jo, and I know you have always been a strong and positive woman."

Jo smiled, "Thanks, Ellen. So, you don't think I am a psychopath, do you?"

Ellen burst out laughing, "Come on, Jo. For starters, a psychopath doesn't doubt of his mental health. You aren't a psychopath, you're the polar opposite, and that's the only reason you're asking this question in the first place."

Jo hugged Ellen, "Thank you so much, Ellen." She held Ellen tight, a long hug of gratitude. She finally stood up and walked to the living room's table, on it a pot full of roses; she took a white rose and inhaled its sweet scent.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

Nick wiped his hands, a thoughtful and disappointed look on his face, "Mary called me, some days ago. She's planning to come to Hazzard and meet me on her way to Atlanta."

Jo glanced at him while she kept to work on the roses, "Mary? You don't look happy 'bout her coming."

Nick shrugged, "In effect, I have no good memories 'bout our relationship. I'm planning to go out for dinner and talk with her, anyway."

Jo cut the long stalk of the rose in her hands, "You aren't obliged to see her, if you don't want to."

Silence. Jo bit her lower lip, wondering if she said something wrong.

"Have you some problem 'bout my meeting with Mary?"

Jo's heart skipped a beat, "Problem? No, I'm simply saying that you don't seem happy about this meeting, so you should avoid it. It's just your decision, and you should do what makes you feel happy."

Silence. A thorn entered Jo's fingertip.

Nick shook his head and sighed, "You know, Jo, I think you should stop bein' so jealous. I love you, and you know it."

Jo sucked the blood on her fingertip, her cheeks burning in shame and sadness.

The door of the shop opened, and Jo had a sigh of relief.

Enos walked toward the counter and smiled, "Good morning Mr Russel. Good morning Mrs Russell."

Jo smiled, "Hi Enos. May I help you?"

Enos nodded, blushing a bit, "Tomorrow is Daisy's birthday. I'm planning to ask her out for dinner, and I'd like to give her some flowers," his eyes lingered on the roses scattered on the counter, "Roses, for example."

Jo took a red rose, "Since it's for Daisy, what would you think of red roses? A red rose symbolizes love and passion."

Enos blushed, his skin reflecting the rose in Jo's hand, "Passion... it's too much... I mean... I want something softer." He averted his eyes from the red rose, "What 'bout white roses?"

Jo rested the red rose on the counter and took the white one, "Purity. Secrecy. Friendship. Reverence."

Enos nodded, "I like it. May I have a bouquet of white roses?"

Jo smiled, "OK. I'm goin' to wrap a beautiful bouquet for tomorrow evening. Come here tomorrow, in late afternoon. OK?"

Enos nodded, "OK. See you tomorrow. Thanks." He walked away and left the shop.

Silence. Jo felt Nick's eyes on her.

"What was, Jo?"

Jo stared at Nick, "What?"

"Your flirting with Enos Strate. That talking 'bout love and passion. The way you talked 'bout it and the way you looked at him."

Jo opened her eyes in surprise, "Flirting? I wasn't flirting."

Nick shook his head and walked to the door behind the counter, opening it and entering their house, "If this is your way to show me your disappointment 'bout my meeting Mary, OK, I won't meet her. But I don't want new shows of jealousy from you."

Staring at the door closing, Jo felt a bitter taste in her mouth; the taste of shame, sadness and also rage.

Was it jealousy? Was she really so jealous and vindictive? She didn't know what's going on in her mind.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Daisy dressed Enos' hands with white bandages, "You know, some time ago I had a strange dream. I think it was because of the idea someone hates you because of jealousy."

Enos stared at her, "What kind of dream?"

Daisy blushed, "It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk 'bout the dream." She pushed away the feeling of his fingers exploring her body like blind creatures, " But that dream made me wonder 'bout the meaning of jealousy and 'bout..." she looked into his eyes, "Enos. Have you ever been jealous of the guys I dated in the past? Have you ever hated them to the point to want them dead?"

Enos opened his eyes in surprise, "Jealous?" He shook his head, he stood up and walked to the window, looking outside and so avoiding her eyes, "I was sad. I knew that, some day or another, you were goin' to marry one of those guys. I was sad 'cause I feared to lose you, my dream of marryin' you definitively gone." He turned to her and looked at her with a shy and sad smile, "See, people are jealous when they think someone is taking away from them something they deserve, something they own. But you can't be jealous if you think you don't deserve what someone else is taking. Or, at least, it's how I feel things. I have never felt you as mine, neither deserving you, so, why being jealous? Just sad of seeing my dream fading. Do you understand what I mean?"

Daisy nodded and walked to him, hugging him, "You are a fantastic man, Enos. So pure and caring. I love you."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

Ellen walked near Jo, "I like roses. Red. White. Pink." Her hand gently caressed the roses in the pot, "You should have added some yellow roses. I love yellow roses."

Jo raised her eyebrows in surprise and finally smiled, "Yellow rose: in the victorian age it symbolized jealousy. Now it's different, but in some Countries it still has this meaning, so I don't like them very much." She stared at the white rose in her hand and smiled, "Purity. Secrecy. Friendship. Reverence."


	22. Better safe than sorry

**BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

Too shy and too serious to sleep by her side in the double bed of the cabin's bedroom during the night, but enough confident to sleep huddled up on the couch with his head on her lap or to sleep on that same bed with his head on her chest in the afternoon: sitting on the couch, Daisy caressed Enos' hair, smiling of his strange way to keep his boundaries.

A week passed since their arrival to the cabin, a week of nothing but just talking and waiting for news, Enos more and more in discomfort because of that stagnation.

The siren of an ambulance sipped into the silent cabin, distant and strange sound in that peaceful place.

Enos opened his eyes and sat up, yawning. He stood up and stretched his arms up, then he rested his hands on his hips and arched his back, moaning.

Daisy sighed and looked at him, "You should sleep in the bed, Enos. It is wide enough for both of us whereas the couch is too small for you."

Enos shook his head and walked to the window, "I prefer to sleep on the couch. Don't worry for my back, it's OK." He stared outside the window, "Rain. It rains, again. I feel like trapped. And we had no news from Hazzard, yet. NO news!" He turned to her, "Why?"

They talked and waited for news, and their talk always came to that point.

Daisy had a deep breathe, "Uncle Jesse said he'll call Gus when they'll find the culprit. He can't call Gus for any little step forward in their plan. What if Maybelle, for some reason or another, hears uncle Jesse calling Gus? We can't risk someone, and so that man, find out we are alive and we are here."

Enos scratched his head in frustration, "I know. I know. Better safe than sorry. We have to wait until Gus goes to Hazzard."

Daisy nodded, "Right. Gus usually goes to Hazzard a couple of times per month, every two weeks, more or less. He's planning to go to Hazzard next week, keeping his habit, and, as he usually does, he's going to visit uncle Jesse and talk to him, no nosey eyes and ears around them."

Enos shook his head and slipped his hands in his jean's pockets, "And we can't ask Gus to bring forward his visiting Hazzard."

Daisy nodded and smiled, "Right. If Gus starts to go to Hazzard too many times, some people could notice it and wondering why."

"Gus could say he's simply visiting his close friend in order to cheer him up after the loss of his beloved niece. Nobody would be surprised of it."

Daisy shook her head, "I don't think so. It's a lot better if Gus doesn't focus people's attention on him. Better safe than sorry."

Enos sighed, "I can't stand this wait."

Daisy smiled sweetly, "Don't worry. For sure Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse are doin' their best to find that man and so to bring us back to Hazzard. Trust them."

Enos frowned and looked down at the floor, "I trust them, but I don't like to stay here just waiting."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Uncle Jesse stared at Bo and Luke entering the living room at the farm, his eyebrows rising in surprise, "What happened?"

Bo walked to the couch, his left eye swollen and dark, "A talk with the Beaudrys."

"The Beaudrys?" Uncle Jesse shook his head in disappointment, "And what in tarnation do you want to talk 'bout with the Beaudrys?"

Bo looked at uncle Jesse, just his right eye open wide, "Well… Milo tried to force Daisy to marry him, time ago. So we should think of him as a possible suspect for hitting Enos and burning our barn. I wouldn't be surprised to find out the Beaudrys are involved, some way or another. Beaudrys mean just troubles."

Uncle Jesse walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge, "I don't think the Beaudrys are involved in it, 'cause – "

"Milo is just a baboon." Luke sat on the couch by Bo's side, "Whereas the man who nearly killed Enos and burnt our barn is cold and schemer. Beaudrys are more…" he shrugged and frowned, "… animal-like."

Uncle Jesse walked to Bo and gave him an ice bag, "We have already talked 'bout it. That man is smart and cold, and it complicates things."

Bo rested the ice bag on his left eye, "He is smart and cold, and muscular too, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to knock Enos out and drag his body away from Hazzard. Milo has the strength of an ape, and he wanted Daisy. I had a try in order to find out where he was during the night Enos was injured and during the night our barn burnt."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "I guess your try with Milo got wrong, Bo."

Bo sighed, "The way Milo talked of Enos and Daisy…" He glanced at uncle Jesse, "But I can't repeat what he said, or you'll tan my hide, uncle Jesse."

Uncle Jesse shook his head, in his voice a pitch of reproach, "And you rose to Milo's bait."

Bo looked down at the floor like a scolded child, "Sorry."

Luke stood up and walked to the kitchen, "Having Enos and Daisy away from here is good, 'cause they are safe, but now that man has no reason to show himself, no chance he's goin' to have a false step in order to hit Enos."

Bo stared at Luke, "We couldn't use Enos as bait. Too dangerous."

Luke came back to the living room, a glass full of water in his hand, "I'm not sayin' we should have used Enos as bait."

Uncle Jesse caressed his beard, "Or maybe he's goin' to have a false step 'cause of his self confidence. He thinks he won over us. If he thinks he has got off scot-free, he'll let down his guard."

Luke sipped the water and rested the glass on the table of the living room, then he sat on the couch, caressing his chin, "Or maybe not. I don't think he is goin' to let down his guard so easily. What if…" he kept on caressing his chin, thoughtfully, Bo and uncle Jesse's eyes on him, "… what if we let him know, some way or another, Daisy and Enos are still alive? I think he is the kind of man who doesn't like to be fooled, and I bet that if he knew where Enos and Daisy are, he would try to kill both of them, both because of his hate for Enos and because of the rage for having been fooled."

Uncle Jesse and Bo looked at each other.

Luke kept on talking, "I'm not sayin' we should let him know that Enos and Daisy are with Gus. I'm talking 'bout having that man wondering if Enos and Daisy are still alive, first, 'cause for sure he would check if it's true. We could cause a rumor, just a rumor, 'bout Daisy and Enos safe and sound somewhere, giving him the doubt 'bout their death, then giving him a place where to find Enos and Daisy, and waiting for him at that place. He'll show up!" He snapped, "This is my plan. We're goin' to use Enos and Daisy as bait, but a false bait."

Uncle Jesse stared at Luke, thoughtfully, "That man is clever. So, we need a realistic rumor, something apparently not starting from us, of course, but from someone else, a rumor slowly spreading in town. We'll control this rumor, in order to give that man a false place where to find Enos and Daisy, waiting for his checking the truth."

Bo scratched his head, "The problem is how to start this rumor and how to control it, pushing it in the right direction. Rumors can be confusing. Besides, if the rumor 'bout Enos and Daisy spreads in town, several people would check if it's true, so we risk to have the wrong man coming to the place where we are waiting for the real culprit."

Luke stood up and walked in the living room, his hands on his hips and his eyes down at the floor, "If we manage to cause a realistic rumor, realistic and so enough confusing," he glanced at Bo, "'cause, you're right, rumors are usually confusing, enough confusing but not too much confusing, I bet that man will be the first one to look for the truth."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "It's a good point, but it won't be easy."

Luke shrugged, "If it won't work, OK, it will be just a rumor. It will start as rumor, and it will end as rumor. If it won't help us to find that man, we'll manage to let people think it's just a rumor, so they'll believe, again, Enos and Daisy are really dead. Enos and Daisy will be safe, anyway, 'cause this rumor won't bring that man to them. That man won't ever know if it's just a rumor, if there's something true in it, or if we are responsible of this rumor; he'll have just doubts, and maybe he'll finally have a false step, some way or another." He looked at Bo and uncle Jesse, "OK?"

Bo sighed, "If we fail, that man will become more and more careful."

Uncle Jesse sighed, "We should try; we can't be sure 'bout the outcome of this plan, neither of any other plan, 'til we don't try it. Enos won't stay away from Hazzard for a long time. When we forced him away from Hazzard that way, we hurt his pride and sense of duty, and no matter how much Daisy is good in persuading him, she can't tie him."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Discomfort and uneasiness: day after day, they grew in Enos' heart, and Daisy felt it.

"I have betrayed people's trust. I have lied to them."

It was the point, and Enos always came to it.

Daisy stood up and walked to him, "Enos! It was Luke's plan, and, as you said, we forced it on you. YOU aren't responsible. YOU didn't lie."

Enos scratched his nape in confusion, "Since I'm staying here, it means I have accepted Luke's plan, so I am your accomplice in it. It means I am guilty, 'cause I am letting people think I am dead. It's unfair, 'cause I am causing pain, a pointless pain."

Daisy covered her face with her hands and shook her head in frustration, then she stared at him, "Why is it so difficult to you? Why are you feeling so guilty 'bout lying?" She came closer him and she rested her hands on his shoulders, her face closer and closer to his one, "Enos, please…"

He had a step back and rejected her upcoming kiss.

She folded her arms around her chest, hurt by that rejection, "Are you so angry, Enos? Are you hating me so much because I forced you into this lie?"

He looked at her in surprise, "Angry? I'm not angry, Dais. I don't want to kiss you 'cause I would like it."

Daisy raised her eyebrows in confusion, "Would it be so bad, liking it?"

Enos shrugged and sighed, "If I start to like my staying here with you, I'll feel even more guilty."

She repeated her previous question, "Why are you feeling so guilty 'bout lying?"

He turned to the window, he stiffened and had a deep breath; he finally turned to her, looking into her eyes, his eyes burning for pain, a pain Daisy didn't ever seen in him, before, "Do you know why I decided to become a cop? Do you know why I can't lie? Do you really know it? Do you know how it really started?"

No, she didn't know it. She has always thought it was just because of Enos' innate honesty, but she has never thought about a real reason, about a 'start'. She waited for his answer.

"I decided to become a cop when I was 8 year old. Do you remember of – "

"ENOS! DAISY!"

A frantic knocking at the door and Sarah's voice, Gus' wife, interrupted him.

Daisy dashed to the door and opened it, hugging the crying woman, "What's goin' on?"

The woman cried into Daisy's arms, "Gus. He isn't feeling well. He is pale, and he feels a weight on his chest. I called the ambulance, and the paramedics are bringing him to the Atlanta Medical Center. Please, come with me! I need your support in this."

Enos turned pale, "The Atlanta Medical Center?" He washed away every smell, sound and feeling of that place.

Sarah looked at him, "It's the closest Hospital from here." She gave Enos the key of Gus' truck, her hand trembling and her voice cracking, "Please, come with me."

He couldn't stand women crying, he grabbed the key and walked to the door and then along the path heading to Gus and Sarah's house, "OK. Go."

Sarah and Daisy followed him, Daisy's arm still around the older woman's shoulders.


	23. The boy with a thorn in his side

**THE BOY WITH A THORN IN HIS SIDE**

_ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER_

Smell of disinfectant, tidy floor, white walls.

After entering the E.R., Enos stopped and fought against the sense of nausea overwhelming him: did he really arrive to the place, severely injured, just some months ago?

Catching his tight features, Daisy grabbed his hand, "Enos! Are you OK?"

He squeezed her hand and the nausea left him. He looked at her and smiled, "Don't worry. I don't remember the E.R., but it smells like the I.C.U.; Hospital's smell, I guess. Just pesky memories, don't worry for me, we are here for Gus and Sarah."

They walked to the counter where a nurse was talking with a young man and they waited their turn. They finally reached the counter.

Enos talked for Sarah, "Please, Madam. A man, Gus McCormick, has been brought here because of a heart attack… or… what looked like a heart attack." He pointed at Sarah, "She is his wife, Sarah McCormick, and we," he pointed at Daisy and himself, "are close friends."

The counter and the nurse behind it recalled Daisy the nurse and counter in the Atlanta Medical Center's hall. She recalled uncle Jesse's hands on the counter while he asked about the unidentified man brought there some days before; she recalled what was going on in her heart and mind, in that moment, and also in the heart and mind of the boys and uncle Jesse: the coroner's refrigerating room was their worst fear.

The nausea that previously attacked and then left Enos, still hovering in that room, now attacked Daisy like a rabid animal, sinking its teeth into her calf and spreading that ice from her legs to her chest and nape. She glanced at the former unidentified man who laid in the I.C.U., now safe and sound, she squeezed his hand and she kicked the beast away.

The nurse gently smiled and gave Enos a form and a pen, "Please, complete the form. I'm going to inform the doctor that Gus McCormick's wife is here." She pointed at the plastic red chairs of the waiting room, "Wait there and be patient. We'll call you as soon as possible."

Enos took the form and pen from the nurse's hands, "Thanks, Madam."

A voice called him, "Deputy Strate!"

His eyes open wide in surprise and confusion, Enos turned to the woman's voice. He stared at the young woman with a long blond pigtail; she dressed a yellow t-shirt, jeans and yellow sneakers. He blinked, trying to remember where he met her, 'cause her face wasn't new to him. He finally recalled her, and blushed, "Nurse Dolly!"

Dolly smiled, "WOW! What a coincidence! I'm here waiting for a colleague, after my morning shift, and the last person I thought I was goin' to meet is you." She glanced at Enos' hands and her smile faded, "Are you injured?" Her eyes moved from Enos' hands covered with white bandages to Daisy's forearm, "And you too, Miss Duke?"

Enos shook his head, "Nothing important. Just some burns," he chuckled in embarrass, "we had some problem with a fire, but we are OK. We are here because of a friend, "he pointed at Sarah, "her husband; we are waiting for news. Does your colleague work in the E.R.?" He wasn't happy to face another witness of his staying in that Hospital, especially someone who saw him in his worst look; though he knew it was pretty normal for nurses, he couldn't help but thinking of what they saw of him and how, and, no matter what, his shyness made him feel like he was naked and vulnerable even now.

Dolly smiled again, "I'm happy you are fine, and I hope your friend is going to feel better." She finally answered his question, "No, my friend doesn't work here, but in a different department. The I.C.U. and her department are at the opposite sides of the building, and since the E.R. is the center of the whole building, sometimes we meet here and then we have lunch at the Hospital's coffee bar."

In that moment, Dolly's friend walked in the E.R. waiting room, "Hey Dolly, I'm ready."

Enos looked at the brown haired woman coming closer Dolly.

Dolly smiled at her friend, and, before to leave, she turned to Enos and said him goodbye, "Bye. Glad you are fine."

Enos looked at the two women leaving the waiting room; he caught Dolly approaching her lips to her friend's ear, whispering (more than a whisper, since Enos heard it), "Hey Ellen. That man, look at him; the man I was talking to when you arrived. He is the man who stayed in the I.C.U. for a while, called John Doe until we identified him!"

Ellen turned to Enos and glanced at him, then she said something to Dolly but they were too distant, now, to let Enos hear their words.

By his side, Daisy smiled, "You are famous, Enos. It looks like you have a fan."

Enos blushed and shrugged, "I don't like this kind of fame." He looked at Sarah, "May I help you, Mrs McCormick?"

Sitting on a chair after giving the completed form to the nurse, Sarah shook her head, "I'm fine, don't worry. You know, my sister Susan lives in Atlanta, so I could ask her to stay at her home while Gus is staying in Hospital. I don't think he's goin' to come back home so soon. But what 'bout our farm and animals? What a mess!"

Daisy walked to the red chairs and sat by Sarah's side, her arm circling the older woman's shoulders, "Don't worry, Sarah. While you and Gus are here in Atlanta, Enos and I can take care of your farm."

Sarah smiled, "Oh thanks. It's a great help. You can stay at our farm, meanwhile."

Daisy shook her head, "We don't want to invade your home, Sarah. The cabin is enough for Enos and me, and it's nearby your farm. We can work at the farm and then go back to the cabin."

Sarah nodded and walked to the phone, "OK, I'm goin' to call Susan."

Enos sat by Daisy's side and sighed, "Poor Gus. And poor Sarah."

After talking with her sister Susan, Sarah called Enos and Daisy. She waited for them coming near her and grabbed again the receiver, "I am goin' to warn your uncle Jesse 'bout what's goin' on. Whatever is goin' to happen in Hazzard, he can call me while I'm stayin' at my sister's place."

Daisy nodded, "We are goin' to call you every evening from your farm's phone in order to know 'bout Gus; and, if something important happens to Hazzard, you'll tell us when we'll call you, OK?"

Sarah looked at Daisy, thoughtfully, "If you call me at my sister's place, it's better you don't use your real names. Susan knows you, and she knows also 'bout your supposed death, because of my younger sister Hannah. You know, Hannah lives in Hazzard; the day of the fire at your barn, she called my sister Susan crying of your death, and my sister Susan called me." She chuckled, "And when I saw Gus arriving with you safe and sound, I almost fainted."

Daisy laughed amused and rested her hand on Sarah's shoulder, whereas Enos scratched his nape in discomfort. Daisy squeezed Sarah's shoulder, "OK. When we'll call at your sister's place, we'll use fake names: Catherine for me and Sonny for Enos."

Enos blinked and kept on scratching his nape, muttering, "Catherine? Sonny?"

Sarah dialed the Dukes' farm and waited for an answer before to speak, "Jesse, I'm Sarah. We are at the Atlanta Medical Center because of Gus. I think he's had a heart attack."

Silence. She pressed the receiver against her ear.

She glanced at Daisy and Enos, talking in the receiver, "Don't worry. I am not alone. I am with two good friends, a kind guy and a kind young woman who are goin' to take care of my farm while I'm goin' to stay at my sister Susan's place."

Silence. She smiled at Enos and Daisy, hearing uncle Jesse's voice.

She nodded, "Call me at Susan's for news about Gus, or for anything else." She glanced at Daisy and Enos with a knowing look and she told uncle Jesse the telephone number of her sister Susan.

She finally put the receiver down and sighed.

The nurse at the counter called her, "Mrs McCormick!"

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Uncle Jesse put the receiver down, his nephews' eyes on him. He answered their silent question, "Sarah McCormick. Gus is at the Atlanta Medical Center because of a heart attack. Enos and Daisy are with her, and they are goin' to take care of Gus' farm while he stays in Hospital and Sarah stays at her sister's place, in Atlanta."

Bo shook his head in disappointment, "Poor Gus. We really didn't need this."

Luke folded his arms, "The only positive thing in it, if we can find something positive, it's that now Enos has a reason to stay there. Until he takes care of Gus' farm, he won't come back to Hazzard."

Bo and uncle Jesse nodded.

* * *

><p><em>ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER - early afternoon<em>

Daisy walked to Gus' truck, "I'm glad Gus is fine. He has had a heart attack, you were right, but it seems it isn't so serious, fortunately, less serious than it could be. He is goin' to spend some time in Hospital, anyway."

Enos opened the door of the truck and nodded, "Yeah, poor Gus." He sat at the driver seat and waited for Daisy at the passenger seat, staring at her, "Catherine? Sonny?"

Daisy smiled and shrugged, "When I was a child I liked to play the princess, and I have always thought of Catherine as the name of a princess. About Sonny, I had a muppet fur, a funny dog I liked very much, and its name was Sonny."

Enos frowned, "Oh, thanks. So, you called yourself with the name of a princess and me with the name of a muppet fur. You should have chosen a name more…" he started the ignition and entered the Atlanta's traffic, "… macho, as Butch, or Hunter, or – "

Daisy burst out laughing.

Enos' frown turned into a shy smile and then into an amused laugh.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS - late afternoon<em>

Daisy placed a cup of steamy tea on the table, in front of Enos, "Now, what did happen when you were 8 year old?" She sat in front of him.

Finally in the cabin, outside the rain still pelting down, Daisy couldn't forget his words before Sarah's coming. She avoided that talk during their way back from Atlanta, but she couldn't wait any more. She sipped her tea and looked at him, waiting for his answer.

He stared at his cup of tea, "Do you remember 'bout my uncle James and my aunt Iris? Oh, well, you were too young for remembering them, but for sure you have heard about them along the years." He had a sad smile.

Daisy blinked, surprised of that talk. Of course, she knew about Iris, the young sister of Enos' mother, and her husband James; everybody in Hazzard knew about it. She nodded, "Your uncle James killed your aunt Iris and got arrested."

Enos had a big breath before to talk again, "OK. You know, everybody loved my uncle James: he was kind, funny, and smart. My aunt Iris was more silent and secretive, somehow sad; some people thought she was a bit…" he shook his head in discomfort, "… crazy. Time before the tragedy, she reported her husband for beating her, but then she retreated her statement. After all, nobody believed her, 'cause my uncle was more believable than her. He was the kind and caring husband, and she was the crazy wife. My mother too was confused about what's happening. When the tragedy occurred, people changed their mind 'bout who was crazy." He sipped his tea, forcing it down his dry throat.

Daisy stared at him, waiting for more.

He kept on talking, "When I was 7 year old, I saw my uncle slapping my aunt. Just one time, he didn't know I was seeing him. Just one time. I was shocked, I didn't understand what's goin' on. My uncle wasn't my uncle anymore, as if he was putting his mask down. Just for a brief moment, I saw what was behind the mask, but I didn't want to believe it. My uncle James was kind to me, and funny. I loved him. I couldn't believe what's goin' on, I decided to not believe it, to take it as a nightmare, to…" he frowned, disgusted, "… to think it was my aunt's fault, 'cause she drove my uncle crazy. At that time I didn't know 'bout her reporting my uncle for abuse, it happened years before. So, I took it for myself, I didn't talk to anybody 'bout it. When the tragedy occurred, I felt it was my fault, just my fault."

Daisy couldn't stop her surprised question, "Your fault? Why your fault?"

Enos blushed, ashamed, "I lied. Omitting what I saw, I lied. And because of that lie, my aunt got killed. If I had talked to someone, maybe things would have been different: maybe the Sheriff would have believed in my aunt's words, maybe everybody would have believed her, maybe she would have left my uncle thanks to people and her family's understanding; maybe, now, she would have been alive. It's what I thought, at that time."

Daisy shook her head, "Enos, it's absurd. You were just 8 year old when it happened. It was too much for a child; you couldn't understand it. You loved your uncle so much you were confused about what's goin' on."

He smiled, sadly, "Growing old, I realized my aunt was just a victim. You're right, I was just 8 year old and I couldn't do very much. Probably, if I had talked, my uncle would have found the way to change my perspective and so my words, letting me, and people, think I misunderstood everything. He would have found an excuse to justify what I saw. He was very good in it, very good in changing the truth. NOW I know it, but when I was 8 year old, it shocked me to the point I had nightmares for months. At that time, I decided I wasn't goin' to lie any more, and I was goin' to protect people. I decided to become a cop. Though, growing old, I realized it wasn't my fault, though I realized things would have probably gone that way, some way or another, I didn't change my mind 'bout bein' honest and becoming a cop. Even now, that memories are like a thorn in my side, it hurts me if I don't act straight." He sighed and shook his head, "What a pitiful story, don't you think?"

Daisy rested her hand on his one, "Not pitiful, just sad, really sad. For your aunt, for you, and for your family." She stood up and leant forward. She kissed him, and, this time, he didn't reject her kiss.


	24. Smell of roses

**SMELL OF ROSES**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

Daisy kissed Enos, a soft but long kiss. When she parted from him, he was looking at her with a grateful smile.

He stood up and stirred, walking to the couch, "I am happy to have finally gotten it off my chest. I have never talked 'bout it with anybody. My aunt's death hit my family like a twister, especially my mother." He stopped on his way to the couch, he stiffened and turned to Daisy, "Oh, gosh! My mother! She doesn't live in Hazzard any more and she doesn't know what's happening, but what if someone – "

Daisy walked to him, "Don't worry. Before Gus, you and I left Hazzard, uncle Jesse told me he was planning to tell everybody he was going to warn your mother about your death. He knew that if he had proposed to carry the weight of telling the bad news to your mother, nobody else would have called her, 'cause nobody likes to be the one who gives so terrific news. And, just in case someone decided to call your mother for their … ehm … condolences, uncle Jesse was going to send your mother and your aunt Minnie a letter, explaining you are alive, somewhere away from Hazzard, no matter possible strange news coming to Valdosta, and asking them to pretend those news were real if someone called them. Anyway, I don't think someone called your mother; she just knows that you are alive but you have to stay away from Hazzard for a while; she trusts uncle Jesse, and she is wise enough to avoid to come to Hazzard or to call uncle Jesse in order to know more 'bout it, 'cause she knows it could be dangerous for you."

Enos had a deep sigh and sank into the couch, "Uncle Jesse thinks of everything. Fortunately." He shook his head, "My mother doesn't need a new shock."

Daisy sat by his side and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently and looking at him, his eyes lost in his memories. She listened to him; she listened to what she already knew but Enos usually didn't talk about.

"After my dad died because of a heart attack, my mother fell apart. Being both her younger sister and her husband gone, she had nobody else but me in Hazzard. You know, she was born in Valdosta and she moved to Hazzard when she married my father; she met my father during her visiting aunt Iris and uncle James; aunt Iris was the first one to move from Valdosta to Hazzard, after her wedding with uncle James. My mother's family is in Valdosta, and I know that, after my father's death, she wanted to go back to her town and to her older sister Minnie; she decided to stay in Hazzard just for me, knowing that if we had moved, I would have lost good and caring friends, beside my father," he glanced at Daisy and had a brief and sweet smile. "So, my mother endured her staying in Hazzard, even if everything recalled her of aunt Iris and of my dad, hurting her. When I grew old and decided to become a police officer, she finally left Hazzard and reached her older sister in Valdosta. Since I was a man, then, there was no need so stay in Hazzard any more."

Daisy nodded, "Your mother is a sweet woman, Enos. Aunt Lavinia and your mother were close friends. You know, from time to time she calls uncle Jesse and talks a lot with him." She winked, "About you."

Enos blushed, "About me? With uncle Jesse?"

Daisy squeezed his hand in hers, "Before to leave Hazzard, your mother put you into uncle Jesse's hands. She asked uncle Jesse to keep an eye on you. And from time to time she asks uncle Jesse about you."

"Do you think uncle Jesse told her 'bout what really happened to me? About my staying in Hospital?" He stared at her, "In the letter he was planning to send to my mother, was he planning to talk 'bout my injuries?"

Daisy half closed her eyes, thoughtfully, then she shook her head, "No. I don't think so. You're right, your mother doesn't need a new shock, and uncle Jesse doesn't want to upset her if it isn't necessary. I think he simply told her 'bout your stayin' away from Hazzard for a while and 'bout people believing you are dead. I think he avoided everything 'bout your bein' injured and your stayin' in Hospital: it isn't necessary, now, 'cause you are OK. Even when you were missing, and then when we found out you were in Hospital, uncle Jesse didn't warn your mother: when you were missing, it was too-early (we didn't know what to think of your missing); and when we found out you were at the Atlanta Medical Center, it wasn't necessary any more ('cause we knew you were alive and you were goin' to heal). So, unless someone calls your mother and tells her everything happened, but it's pretty improbable, she won't know anything. Your mother left Hazzard years ago, she comes to Hazzard very seldom (or she sends your aunt Minnie for reconnaissance), and uncle Jesse is the only person in Hazzard, beside you, she still calls, from time to time."

Enos sighed in relief, "I don't want to hurt her, so I avoid to talk to her 'bout anything of me that could upset her: this is my only dispensation from my no-lies rule. I didn't call her when I was in Hospital, neither I talked about it when she called me, last month."

Daisy nodded, "Neither uncle Jesse. He knows 'bout your bein' so protective to your mother and 'bout your sparing her any worrisome." She kissed his cheek and stared at him, "But… you know, Enos… you should stop to keep everything for yourself in order to protect people around you. You should open up, from time to time, as now."

He averted his eyes and looked away.

Daisy let his hand go and observed him. She knew everything of him, almost everything (she couldn't deny that his confession about his aunt Iris and about his reason to become a police officer surprised her). She stretched her arm out and she reached his nape, caressing him.

He rested his head on her lap and cuddled up next to her while she kept on caressing his nape, "You, uncle Jesse and the boys are my only family, in Hazzard."

"We have always thought of you as part of our family, Enos."

He had a deep sigh, "I can't say the same of my father's brothers and sisters, and of their families. Don't misunderstand me, Daisy. I am not sayin' they are cold to me; they are polite, instead. But, when I decided to become a police officer, I moved in the enemy camp; it's their way to see it. My father was a moonshiner, as his brothers and their sons; they don't accept, yet, to have a cop in their family. I am the black sheep. I know they still have some affection for me, just 'cause I am the son of my father, not because I am myself. Do you understand what I mean?"

Daisy's hand moved from his nape down to his shoulder.

He yawned, "I should stop talking 'bout it. It's sad… and pathetic." He closed his eyes, "Sorry."

Her hand on his shoulder, Daisy stared at him falling asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Her white arms were lighted up by the sunlight while, knelt down in front of her rose garden, she was trimming the wild shrubs.<em>

_Enos walked to her and smiled, his badge sparking in the sun, "Hi aunt Iris."_

_Iris stood up and gently removed the soil from her knees. She turned to Enos and smiled; her smile and her freckles gave her a carefree look, while the sun gave her long brown hair a honey nuance. _

_Enos stared at her walking to him and his smile faded, "What's happened to your arms?"_

_Iris rolled down her shirt's sleeves, covering the bruises, "Nothing. Don't worry, Enos."_

_Enos frowned, "It's uncle James's fault, isn't it? Please, aunt Iris, tell me what's goin' on. I can protect you, now." He pointed at his badge, golden star on his chest, "I am a cop, you can talk to me. I'm goin' to protect you."_

_Iris looked down at the ground, "It's late, Enos. You are late. I am dead, I died years ago, and you can't help me any more. You can't help ME." The knife in her hand, the knife she was using to trim her roses, sparked in the sunlight and turned into a giant thorn._

_Enos stared at that thorn._

_It left Iris's hand and flied to Enos like a bullet, sort of vegetable bullet._

_It reached him and ripped his belly._

_He fell down, the pain so excruciating he wasn't even able to shout, even able to breathe. He clasped his hands on his belly, moaning and trying to stop the bleeding._

_Around him, smell of roses._

_His hands trying to stop the red, warm, sticky, smelling sickly-sweet fluid (and life) flowing out his belly, he closed his eyes and told himself it was just a nightmare._

_The sickly-sweet smell of the roses fused with the smell of his blood._

_He fought back his gastric juices and blood reaching his mouth._

"_I'm Doctor Hunt. This is the Atlanta Medical Center's I.C.U."_

_He opened his eyes and looked at the man with a short and brown beard who was looking at him_.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

Enos looked at the ceiling while his bed was transferred from the I.C.U. to a different room.

Neon lights and three faces on him. Finally, a cream colored room.

"Now, look at my finger and follow it with your eyes, just with your eyes." Doc Hunt placed a finger in front of Enos's face and moved it, up – down – right – left. "Can you follow it? Do you see just one finger?"

Enos nodded. Of course, he saw just one finger; how many fingers the doctor wanted him to see if there was just one finger?

"Can you move both arms and legs?"

Enos nodded again, moving both arms and legs, slow and small move but move.

The doctor kept on his strange examination, "What's your name?"

Enos forced his voice out his dry throat, "Enos Strate, from Hazzard County."

"Birth date?"

Enos sighed, "August 28, 1952. I am 33 year old."

The nurse with a long blond pigtail lowered the sheet covering him while the older nurse kept on writing on what looked a nursing record.

Enos blushed, his unspoken thoughts running in his head, _"Hey, HEY! Madam, I'm NAKED!" _For his sake, the sheet's descending stopped at a decent level, just his chest and belly exposed. He stared at the ceiling, avoiding any eye contact with the man and women around him, and avoiding to look at his own body too.

Doc Hunt placed his stethoscope on Enos' chest, "Breathe in and breathe out."

The metallic ring around the stethoscope's diaphragm made Enos shiver; he closed his eyes and followed Doc Hunt's orders. Breathe in – breathe out – breathe in – breathe out.

The stethoscope moved on his chest. Breathe in – breathe out – breathe in – breathe out.

The feeling of the metallic object moving on his chest was replaced by the feeling of a hand on his belly. He didn't like it. He has always been shy about physical touch, no matter if it was a doctor seeing a patience, and if he was the patient. Was he the patient? Even worse.

"Tell me if it hurts."

Doc Hunt gently increased the pressure on his belly.

It hurt. He moaned.

Gunshot wound: was Doc Hunt talking about a gunshot wound when he woke up in the I.C.U.? Well, now he knew which part of his body was affected.

Not satisfied of Enos' soft moaning, Doc Hunt kept on his examination, "Tell me where it hurts the most."

He didn't like it. When the pressure reached a given point, few inches at his bellybutton's right side, the soft moan turned into a choked shout. Enos fought against some gastric juices reaching his mouth; he swallowed back that sour liquid.

Finally, satisfied of his examination, Doc Hunt forgot of Enos' body and talked to his nurses, rattling off a list of medications and schedules.

Finally, remembering his exposed and miserable body, the nurses covered him.

Where the Dukes were?

* * *

><p>"Enos? Are you OK?"<p>

Sitting on the couch, his hands covering his face, Enos tried to calm down.

Breathe in – breathe out.

Daisy caressed his damp hair, her worried eyes on him, "Enos, you are drenched in cold sweat. You were moaning during sleep. Another nightmare?"

At the other side of the foggy screen of his subconscious, he tried to catch his nightmare's splinters: his aunt Iris, her roses (she liked roses), the bruises on her arms (he didn't remember bruises on her arms, ever), and the thorn ripping his belly.

He placed his right hand on his belly, involuntary reflex.

Doc Hunt, nurse Emily and nurse Dolly: not a nightmare but his memory entering his nightmare.

Bellyache, sour liquid to his mouth and smell of roses.

At the other side of the foggy screen…

"Enos! Please, talk to me. You are scaring me!"

Daisy's voice dispersed the screen.

He turned to her, "Just a nightmare, about my aunt and about the Hospital. It's because of our talk and because of the Atlanta Medical Center. Too many pesky memories. Sorry." He smiled, pitiful smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and she held him tight.

He buried his face against her shoulder, letting her lavender' scent disperse the roses' smell.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

Ellen looked at Jo's lost look as she stared at some flowers into the pot at the center of the living room's table. She had a deep breath and walked to her friend, "Hey Jo. Guess who I met today at the Hospital!" When Jo looked at her, finally back from her thoughts, she grinned, "John Doe. Dolly met John Doe at the E.R. He was fine, and he was there for a friend. His girlfriend was with him. Dolly is right, he is really cute."

Jo laughed, "And he has a girlfriend. So, you and your friend Dolly should stop lusting on him. Beside, has he a name? I mean, a real name?"

Ellen shrugged, "We aren't lusting. And yeah, of course he has a real name, but Dolly talks of him just as John Doe. She was so excited about his unknown identity when he arrived at the I.C.U. that she keeps on calling him John Doe, at least with me and her friends, 'cause I suppose she uses his real name when she talks to him. And since she didn't introduce me to him, today, I don't know his name."

Jo sighed and smiled, "A name is just a name. Whatever is the name of John Doe, it doesn't matter. In effect, Dolly is right. The exciting thing was his being John Doe." She rested her chin on the palm of her right hand and looked at the flowers, "You know, I was planning to send a message to my old town."

Ellen frowned, "A message to Nick? No way, or he'll know where you are."

Jo glanced at Ellen and focused again on the flowers, "I'm not talking of Nick. I know I have to forget of him. I was talking of the deputy I talked to you about, some time ago. I still feel ashamed of my lies to him, and I want him to know what was really going on."

Ellen shook her head, "Forget 'bout it too. If you send a message to someone in your old town, Nick will know it. It's a small town, isn't it? The kind of town where rumors spread like fire on straw."

Jo nodded, "You're right."

Ellen sighed in relief, pointing at the pot and at the purple flowers, "What kind of flower is it?"

Jo smiled, "Iris. It means message."

* * *

><p><strong>There's no much about Enos' past and family in the TV show, so you can create what you want about his past. Some things, anyway, stood out:<strong>

**- his father was a moonshiner, friend of uncle Jesse, and Enos grew old with the Dukes (from the pilot episode)**

**- his mother and his aunt Minnie stay at his apartment at the Boarding House, from time to time (from "Close call for Daisy" episode. I have always found Boss' lines about Enos' mommy and his aunt Minnie really interesting. You can read them in various way, anyway).**

**- Enos' absence in some episodes is explained as "he is away to visit some relatives"**

**- He has a lot of relatives in Hazzard, too (from "Find Loretta Lynn" episode), one of them is named uncle Opie, though no relative of him is ever shown.**

**About the meaning of flowers and the idea of use it, it's from the book "The language of flowers", by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.**

**Hope you are enjoying it :-)**


	25. Steaming soup and icy beer

**STEAMING SOUP AND ICY BEER**

_HAZZARD_

Nick Russell sipped the icy beer, staring at the paper in front of him, his notes on it.

Were Enos Strate and Daisy Duke still alive? Or was it just a stupid rumor in town?

He recollected his thoughts, trying to give a sense to what's happening.

The week before the Beaudrys found Daisy's necklace near their farm; Milo Beaudry said he recognized that necklace, golden necklace with a small pendant (a music note) on it, and also other people in Hazzard recognized that necklace as Daisy Duke's necklace. Its recovery near the Beaudrys' farm was unimportant, anyway, 'cause Daisy could have lost it long time before (when Milo kidnapped her, for example).

But, now, the Beaudrys were asserting they heard Daisy Duke's voice in the hills, not very distant from their farm; they clearly recognized the woman's voice and her calling Enos.

The recovery of Daisy Duke's necklace in the hills plus her voice there meant, to Beaudrys' mind, that Daisy Duke and Enos Strate were hiding somewhere in the hills, probably an extreme and absurd attempt to protect Enos Strate from the threats he was facing.

It was the Beaudrys' idea, and it was what people in Hazzard were starting to wonder about.

Was it possible?

Nick drank up what remained of the beer.

Was it possible? Enos Strate and Daisy Duke hiding in the hills? That place was full of hidden stills, and any moonshiner in Hazzard knew it; Jesse Duke knew it; and the Dukes' old still was probably somewhere there.

Did the Dukes organize the fake death of Daisy and Enos in order to save Enos from a new attack? Let the killer think his victim is already dead and he will be armless, and maybe he will lower his guard: was it the Dukes' plan? Plain stupid, and the Dukes weren't stupid.

Nick stood up and walked to the fridge, he took another beer from it and he came back to the kitchen's table. Sitting down, he stared at his scribbles on the paper.

Was it a desperate attempt of the Dukes to save Enos? The Dukes weren't stupid but maybe desperate in their trying to save their best friend, to the point to decide to have him hidden for a while, Daisy Duke guarding him while they found a way to understand what's going on.

It was possible.

Or was it just a stupid rumor, the insensitive way the Beaudrys had fun?

The cold beer relaxed Nick, his mind running fast.

How did the Dukes react to that rumor?

Nick thought of Jesse Duke standing in the middle of Hazzard's square, his features tights as he talked to folks, asking them to stop with those absurd rumors. He thought of Luke Duke by Jesse Duke's side, his arms folded as he nodded at his uncle's words about respecting a family that was facing a tragic grief. He thought of Bo Duke's vain attempt to stay calm and of his final rant about how those rumors were disrespectful and mean, disrespectful and mean as the people who started it. He thought of the near fight between Dukes and Beaudrys.

The Dukes were trying to stop that rumor. It meant everything or nothing at all: if the rumor was false, the Dukes were really saddened and offended because of it; if the rumor was true, instead, they were trying to stop it as soon as possible in order to protect Enos and Daisy.

Was it true or false?

Nick decided to keep his eyes open. If Enos and Daisy were really alive and the Dukes were trying to foolish him, he was going to find it out.

* * *

><p>"So, what are folks thinking, now?" Bo stared at uncle Jesse, his serious tone turning into a soft amusement, "great acting, today, in Hazzard's square."<p>

Sitting in his armchair, uncle Jesse sighed and shook his head, "I am not very proud 'bout my lying to folks, Bo. My acting was for the culprit, 'cause for sure he was among folks, and when everything will be ended, I'll apologize to folks for my lies. You and I have to apologize to Enos for how we sent him away from Hazzard, and also to people for our lies."

Luke nodded, "You're right. When everything will be ended, we'll apologize to everybody, but the culprit is still out there and we haven't unmasked him, yet." He walked to the living room's couch and sank into it, "I think your words have persuaded the most part of folks that the rumor is false, and it's good: no people snooping in the hills to find out if Enos and Daisy are really there. I reckon we have instilled the doubt into the culprit's mind, instead. I hope he is wondering if the rumor is true or false, right now. The more we give him opposite signals and the more he'll wonder about what's true and false; the more he wonders 'bout it and the more he'll check for the truth, so we'll have him where we want him, at our old still; and we'll be there, waiting for him."

Bo smiled, "Great idea 'bout the Beaudrys, Luke. Nobody would think they are part of our plan. If we had asked Cooter to start the rumor, it would have been suspicious."

Luke grumbled, "My ideas are always great, Bo. Though I think Daisy won't be happy 'bout her necklace."

Bo shrugged, "We'll find a way to have Daisy's necklace back. We needed something to give the Beaudrys the idea Daisy is in the hills, and her necklace was perfect."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "And those tapes were perfect too."

Bo sighed, "I think Daisy won't be happy about our snooping in her bedroom, neither. I'm surprised she still cherishes tapes she recorded years ago during our picnics."

Luke glanced at Bo, "We are lucky 'bout these tapes. Her voice hasn't change very much since she was a teenager." He took the tape player from the living room's table and switched it on, listening to Daisy's voice coming out from it.

"_Hey Enos! Wait!" _

He switched the tape player off and smiled, "Great effect, in the hills, yesterday."

The scent of soup filled the farm.

Uncle Jesse stood up and walked to the kitchen, "So, the Beaudrys believe Enos and Daisy are somewhere in the hills and they are spreading the rumor in town, whereas we pretend to be offended and saddened because of it, in order to confuse the culprit even more and to push him to look for the truth. Hope it's goin' to work. Now, help me to set the table, please. Dinner is ready."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

The scent of soup filled the cabin.

Daisy stirred the soup, its boiling mixing with the sound of the water pounding in the bathroom. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the water stopping its roar and the bathroom's door opening.

"Good scent. I am hungry."

She turned round and she stared at Enos entering the living room, his hair still damp after having a shower. She smiled, "Soup. But it isn't ready, yet."

Enos sank into the couch and looked at his hands, closing and opening them in front of him, "They are OK, now. That ointment works."

Daisy nodded and glanced at her forearm, no more white bandages on it, "It works. Now, sugar, have some rest 'til the dinner is ready. You are working hard at Gus' farm. It's been a long and hard week."

Enos lay down on the couch, "How's Gus? You called Sarah, didn't you?"

Daisy nodded, "I called her while you were working in the barn. Gus is fine, but it's too early for coming back home. It's just one week since his heart attack, after all. Susan, Sarah's sister, told me she is happy to know Sarah has some good friends, here, taking care of her farm. She thanks you very much…" she sniggered, "… Sonny."

Enos snorted, "It looks like you are having really fun." He didn't manage to keep from smiling amused, "Catherine."

Daisy laughed and walked to the couch.

He rolled on his side from his supine position, making space for her.

Daisy sat in front of his belly and, after sitting down, she felt his belly pressing against her waist while he wrapped her body around her.

Cuddled up around her, he yawned.

She looked at him and caressed his hair, "Poor Enos. You are working really hard."

Enos nodded, "Yeah, my back hurts."

Daisy shook her head, "Your back hurts because of this couch."

"It isn't because of the couch. Last night I fell asleep on the swinging chair while I was watching the sky."

Daisy turned serious, "How's your sleeping?" She waited for his answer. Since the day they went to the Atlanta Medical Center with Sarah, Enos' nightmares were becoming more and more vivid, even more vivid than during his first days spent at the farm after being discharged from the Hospital.

Enos closed his eyes, "I slept, for a while, 'til a new nightmare. Or memory, I don't know."

Daisy waited for more, silently.

"I think I recalled when I arrived at the Atlanta Medical Center's E.R., I mean… the night I was injured, not last week. Doc Hunt told me I was unconscious, but I recall some voices… sounds… and smells. I'm pretty sure it was the E.R., though I can't be sure of it."

"Oh Enos." She took a deep breath, "Did you recall also something 'bout what happened that night, exactly?"

He opened his eyes and stared at her, "No. And, sincerely, I don't want to remember, 'cause my memories could be useless in our looking for that man. I have thought a lot 'bout it, Daisy. Whoever hurt me is too much self-confident. Now, think of it: he hasn't left Hazzard after knowing I was alive at the Atlanta Medical Center, and it means he wasn't afraid of my waking up and of what I was goin' to say 'bout the night I was injured (at that time, he couldn't know 'bout my memory's loss 'cause I was still in coma). I think he was pretty sure I couldn't recognize him, memory's loss or not. He hit me behind my back, and I reckon he was wearing a mask or disguise. I don't want to remember that night, if it's useless."

Daisy caressed his damp hair, "OK. Don't force yourself to remember it."

Enos nodded, "May I ask you a favor, Dais?"

She opened her eyes wide and smiled, "Of course, sugar."

"If you don't mind, I'm goin' to sleep in the bed, by your side." He blushed, "I just need someone to – " he shook his head in frustration, "Daisy, please, if during the night you hear me moaning, or tossing and turning, wake me up. Slap me, shake me, do whatever you want but wake me up, OK?"

Daisy ruffled his hair and smiled, trying her best to calm him down, "OK. I'll wake you up, don't worry." She stood up, "Now, have dinner, Enos. Soup is ready."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

"Come on, Jo. Hurry up!" Ellen opened the door and waited for her friend.

Jo reached Ellen and sighed, "I don't know if I am in the mood for going out, Ellen."

Ellen shook her head, "Come on, Jo. You need to have fun and to stop thinking of Hazzard and of Nick. I have finally managed to go out with Dolly and other friends of us, and I want you to meet them, especially Dolly. She is really funny, trust me."

Jo smiled, "OK. You're right. I need to go out."

Ellen nodded and laughed, "Well. Now, it's time to go. Dolly and the others are waiting for us."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, and thanks for any hint.<strong>


	26. Sweet dreams

**SWEET DREAMS**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

"Sweet dreams, sugar." Daisy caressed Enos' hair, looking at him already sleeping. Sitting in the bed, she took a book from the night table, strange book she found in the cabin and decided to read, and she flipped through its pages; strange book, but amazing, about a man who waits for the woman he loves for fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love. She smiled and glanced at Enos.

Just the lamp on the nigh table drawing a circle of light around her, Daisy focused on the book in her hands, her mind in the distant world of the book.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

Time for dessert, at the restaurant.

And, finally, time for talking of 'John Doe', something Dolly was longing for since they sat at the restaurant's table and something her friends were waiting for with deep curiosity.

Time for questions from the audience around Dolly.

"Really? No ID when he arrived at the E.R.?"

Dolly nodded, "It's why we called him John Doe. It's the name we usually use for someone whose identity is unknown. He was severely injured because of a head trauma and a gunshot wound. He was unconscious, and he couldn't help us about his identity." She swallowed a piece of apple pie and smiled, amused by her friends' curiosity.

"How do you usually manage to find the identity of unknown people?"

Dolly shrugged, "It doesn't happen very often. When John Doe arrived, we just took care of him while police officers tried to identify him: fingerprints… dispatches… and so on. We were waiting for someone coming to the Hospital, looking for him (if he was John Doe for us, he was a missing person for someone else), or waiting for him waking up and telling us his real name. Finally, some friends of him came to the Hospital and recognized him."

"WOW! Was he still in coma?"

Dolly nodded and sighed, "What a emotional scene. His friends were really shocked, especially his girlfriend. She cried and called his name; she repeated him that she loved him."

"OOHHH. So romantic! And so sad."

Dolly smiled, "Sad but with an happy ending. The man woke up and recovered. He came back home and he is happy with his girlfriend, now. You know, he is a cop, and the funny thing is that I thought he was a member of a gang."

"You have always strange ideas, Dolly. You watch too many crime movies."

Everybody laughed.

Dolly laughed too, "You are right. But I read tons of romantic books too, and I liked to see him finally safe and sound, his girlfriend by his side."

"Is he cute? It looks like you have a sort of crush on him."

Dolly blushed, "Oh no! No crush on him; I admit he is really good-looking, but too much shy for my taste."

Ellen nodded, "I agree, he is good-looking. I saw him just one time, and for few minutes, but it's enough for saying he is really good-looking."

"OK. He is now safe and sound. But, what happened to him? I mean, the head trauma and the gunshot wound. I am curious."

Dolly shook her head, "Unfortunately, when he woke up he didn't remember what happened to him." She stared at her friends around her and opened her eyes wide, "He didn't remember anything about the two previous months! Nothing. Blank page about his life along the months before his arrival to the Hospital!"

"Oh gosh! What a story. I thought it happens just in TV shows and movies."

Dolly frowned, "Unfortunately it happens in real life, too. I don't know how's his memory, now. But I am glad he is happy with his woman."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

_"Shoot me, there is no greater glory than to die for love."_

By her side, Enos rolled on his back, had a deep breathe and sat up. Daisy closed the book, rested it on the night table and turned to him, "Are you OK?"

Enos nodded and stirred, "I am OK. No nightmares. Don't worry." He stood up and walked to the living room.

Daisy heard him opening the fridge and filling a glass with water.

He finally came back to the bedroom and slipped into the bed, "You should rest, Daisy. I don't want you to guard me while I am sleeping. It isn't what I was meaning when I asked you to wake me up if I am having a nightmare."

Daisy smiled, "I am not guarding you, Enos. I am reading a book - " she took the book from the night table and showed it to him, " – about a man who waits for the woman he loves for fifty years, nine months and four days."

Enos blinked and had a shy smile, "Poor man. I have been luckier than him."

Daisy laughed, "Oh, you know, even if he reserves his heart for the woman he loves, he spends these years in 622 love affairs."

Enos sat up, "WHAT? Really?"

Daisy nodded, "Really. You are so pure, Enos, but the other men aren't like you, preserving their virtue for the right woman." She glanced away, embarrassed, keeping for herself her following thought, _"Neither women, preserving their virtue for the right man. Neither I."_

Enos slowly lay down, his voice muffled by the blankets covering him, "You too are pure, Daisy, and beautiful. Sweet dreams."

Deeply touched by his words, she smiled and kissed his cheek, "Sweet dream, my Florentino."

Enos turned to her, "Florentino? After Sonny, am I Florentino, now?"

"You are the man I love." She kissed his lips, brief and soft kiss, "Sweet dreams."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN ATLANTA<em>

Jo smiled, "Great story, Dolly. I really liked it. I am happy to be here with you." She glanced at Ellen, a grateful smile on her face.

Dolly had a wide smile, "I am glad you liked it, Jo. Ellen told me you are good friends since when you were really young. You lived in Atlanta and you left after you got married."

Jo nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I left Atlanta and I moved to a small Country, here, in Georgia. It isn't far away from Atlanta. But actually, you see, I have decided to come back to Atlanta, 'cause my marriage is…" she shook her head, "… sometimes it happens. I don't want to talk about it. Sorry."

Dolly nodded, smiling sweetly, "Don't worry. Sometimes people break up. OK, talk about something else. You are a florist, aren't you? Ellen says you know everything about flowers."

Jo glanced at Ellen with a both reproaching and amused look: Ellen said too many things. She smiled at Dolly, "I love flowers, and I love their meaning. It's a beautiful language. I owned a florist shop. Oh, well, not just me, I worked with my husband." The dessert turned bitter in her mouth.

Dolly looked excited, "Great! I love it. Come on, talk to us about the meaning of flowers."

Ellen casted Dolly a reproaching look, "Hey Dolly, don't annoy Jo with your questions. Jo can't list you ALL the flowers with all their meaning!"

Dolly frowned like a scolded child, "I am not talking about ALL the flowers." She pointed at the daisies in the pot placed at the center of the table, "These ones, for example, what's their meaning?"

Jo caressed the white flowers, "Purity. Innocence. Beauty."

Ellen smiled, "She knows everything about flowers."

Jo blushed, "I am not so perfect, Ellen. I don't know everything, and I have tons of things to learn about flowers. In the Country where I lived, people came to my shop and asked me about the right flower to give for every situation. I liked it." She smiled, sad smile, "But it's the past. Having a florist shop in a small Country, where you know everybody and where everybody knows you, is pretty different than having a shop in a big city like Atlanta. Besides, I have no money to own a shop here."

Feeling her discomfort, Dolly changed the subject, "I have always lived in Atlanta, and I am curious to know about country life. You know, that man, John Doe, came from a small Country. Talk me about your old Country, about the life and people there. I think funny things happen."

Jo nodded, "I lived in a really small and rural Country, and, yeah, funny things happened there. You probably haven't ever heard about its name, Hazzard. It's – "

"HAZZARD?" Dolly stood up, unable to control her surprise, then, looking at people staring at her, all the eyes of the restaurant on her, she blushed and sat down, "Hazzard? That man, John Doe, is from Hazzard. He is the deputy, there. His real name is Enos Strate; his friends are Jesse, Bo and Luke Duke, and his girlfriend is Daisy Duke. If you lived in Hazzard, you should know them!"

Jo felt a sudden cold starting from her feet and running up to her chest, then a sudden heat. The restaurant started to whirlpool around her as she forced her voice out her dry throat, "Enos Strate is the man you called John Doe?" She recollected everything Dolly said, and she finally caught what she needed to: Dolly told John Doe (no, not John Doe but Enos Strate) arrived at the Atlanta Medical Center in April, and it meant that…

Jo stood up and rushed to the bathroom, Ellen following her.

Inside the bathroom, she washed her face with cold water, trying to ease the heat burning her. She had a deep breath and stared at Ellen, "It happened in April. It happened few after my leaving. What if…" She shook her head, she couldn't believe what she was going to say, "What if Nick tried to kill Enos? Nick was jealous, at that time he was obsessed about me having a love affair with the deputy. What if Nick is involved in it? I can't believe it, I don't want to believe it but – "

Ellen grabbed Jo's arms and looked into her friend's eyes, "Stay calm, now. That man is safe and sound. I met him last week. I didn't know he's your deputy, absurd coincidence, but he is fine. He was in the E.R. 'cause some friend of him, and his girlfriend was with him."

Jo nodded and tried to calm down, "Some friend? What friend? I hope Jesse Duke is OK."

Ellen shook her head, "I don't know what friend. Ask Dolly, for sure she knows something more about it, 'cause she talked to your deputy"

Jo had a deep breath, "Ok. Ok. I'm goin' to ask Dolly everything about her meeting with Enos. But…" she looked into Ellen's eyes, "… I need your help. I have to talk to Enos. I have to tell him about Nick. Maybe Nick isn't involved, maybe the culprit is already in jail and Nick is innocent. Or maybe Nick is involved in it and he has got away with it due to Enos losing his memory. I HAVE to talk to Enos."

Ellen half-closed her eyes, "Are you sure? Instead, you should go to the nearest Police Department, here, and tell what you are telling me. Atlanta Police Department will warn Hazzard Police Department about your report."

Jo shook her head, "No! I want to talk to Enos, face to face. JUST to him. He deserves my honesty, finally."

Ellen nodded, "Is it your choice? Going back to Hazzard?"

Jo stared into Ellen's eyes, "It's my choice. Tomorrow, in the morning, come with me to Hazzard, please."

Ellen hugged Jo, "Ok. Ok. I'll be by your side."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Daisy hugged Enos tight, enjoying the feeling of his warm breath on her chest while he was sleeping deeply.

Keeping him close to her, she could feel every change in his breath and every move, ready to wake him up if necessary.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep, lulled by his deep and regular breathing.

* * *

><p><strong>A cookie to everyone who guesses the book Daisy is reading: it was published in 1985, and its author is really REALLY famous.<strong>

**Thanks for reviewing and reading. THANKS, again and again :-)**


	27. Troubles in town

**TROUBLES IN TOWN**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

"I think Sarah and Gus will be really happy for their fence," Daisy walked to Enos, a basket full of eggs in her arms and her hair tied in a long pigtail. She stared at Enos' dark brown hair turning into a bright brown because of the sunlight, and at his forearms, his shirt's sleeves rolled on, bathed with sun. She smiled, "You are doin' a great job, sugar."

Knelt down, he was absorbed in painting the farm's fence, his moves calm and accurate as he applied the white paint on the wood. He turned his head to her, smiling, "This fence needs new paint."

Daisy nodded and looked around, "And that rose garden needs a good trimming." She turned round and walked to the farm, "I'm goin' to work on that roses, after placing these eggs in a safe place."

Enos looked at the rose garden, white roses: purity, secrecy, friendship, and reverence. He recalled Mrs Russell talking to him about the meaning of roses and why he chose white roses for Daisy's birthday. He jumped, that small memory hitting him like a sudden slap, a new memory back from the two months swallowed into the darkness of his comatose days.

Mrs Russell, the Florist Shop, flowers, Mrs Russell's mother being ill…

Something knocked at his conscience, but he shrugged that strange and pesky feeling away, his eyes still on the fence.

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Ellen's car entered Hazzard's square.

"So, this is Hazzard. This is really a small town." Ellen glanced at her friend by her side, "Are you OK?"

Her eyes on the red delivery van parked in front of the Florist Shop, Jo swallowed against the lump in her throat and nodded, "I am fine. I am here for Enos Strate, not for Nick." Answering more to herself than to Ellen, she averted her eyes from the Shop and looked at the white building at the other side of the square: the Hazzard Police Department.

Ellen parked the car, "OK. I hope your deputy is inside the Police Department and not patrolling along these dusty roads. I don't want to wait for him for hours." Her eyes on the entrance of the building, she had a surprised smile at the sight of two uniformed men coming out, "Hey look! Your deputy and the Sheriff." She half closed her eyes, her smile fading, "I have never seen the sheriff, but I know your deputy, and none of those men is the man I met in the E.R."

Jo nodded, "It's Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane with Deputy Cletus Hogg."

Ellen turned to Jo, "You said Hazzard has just one sheriff and one deputy."

Jo shrugged, "Time ago we had one sheriff and two deputies, for a while. Cletus Hogg was hired when Enos Strate left for LAPD, and then he kept on being the second deputy after Enos came back, so we had two deputies for a while. I guess that, since Enos is injured because of a fire – " she turned to Ellen " – it's what Dolly said, yesterday – " she turned again to the Police Department, " – I guess Cletus Hogg has taken Enos' place while Enos is in convalescence because of his burns." She opened the car's door and came out, "Come on, I have to ask them about Enos before they start their patrolling."

Ellen sighed and came out the car, walking by Jo's side.

"Sheriff!"

His hand already on his patrol car's door, Rosco turned to the women walking to him.

On the other side of the street, Cooter wiped his greasy hands with a greasy cloth and turned to the two uniformed men and the two women coming closer.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Knelt down in front of the rose garden, Daisy trimmed the wild shrubs. She finally rested the shears on the ground andstood up, gently removing the soil from her knees_. _She turned to Enos and smiled.

Enos stared at her smile and at her freckles giving her a carefree look, while the sun gave her long brown hair a honey nuance. He felt a strange mix of sweetness and nausea. He had a deep breath and washed the nausea away, "You are beautiful, Daisy."

Daisy opened her arms wide and observed her outfit: long sleeves shirt, large overall and boots. She rested her hands on her hips, she bent her head toward her right shoulder and smiled, "You are such a gentleman, sugar, but I don't think I am so good, right now."

"You are always beautiful."

She laughed and walked to him, "Oh Enos. You are so sweet."

When she came closer him, he hugged her tight, catching her breath away.

"Enos!" A surprised whisper came out her mouth, her face pressed against his chest and his strong arms around her waist. He was holding her tight but he wasn't hurting her.

"I love you, Daisy," just a whisper in her ear, making her shiver.

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Rosco stared at Jo, "Mrs Russell! Welcome back home."

Cletus smiled and touched his hat's brim, "Hope your mother is fine."

Jo glanced at Ellen, meaningful look, and nodded at Cletus, "My mother is fine, thanks. I need to talk with Enos Strate."

Rosco and Cletus started, then stiffened, while Cooter, his eyes on the scene, raised his hat's visor.

Rosco glanced at Cletus, in discomfort, then turned to Jo, his voice low and rude because of that painful talk, salt on a burning wound, "I am sorry, Mrs Russell. You probably haven't known it 'cause you were stayin' by your mother's side, but Enos is …" Rosco had a deep sigh and his voice cracked, "… dead."

"DEAD?" Jo looked at Ellen, pure terror in her eyes; she turned again to Rosco, trying to control her voice and terror, "Dead? When? How?"

Rosco put his hat off, disappointed and angry gesture, "Two weeks ago, because of a fire at Dukes' farm. Daisy Duke too died. Both Enos and Daisy died in the fire. A tragedy."

The terror on Jo's face faded, surprise and confusion taking its place, "Two weeks ago?" She repeated in her mind what Dolly told her the previous evening, "Impossible. I am pretty sure Enos Strate and Daisy Duke were at the Atlanta Medical Center's E.R., just one week ago. Alive. They had some burns because of a fire, in effect, but they were fine."

Cooter held his breath.

Ellen had a step forward, "I don't know what's happening here, but I can say for sure that Enos Strate and Daisy Duke are alive. I saw them at the Atlanta Medical Center. My name is Ellen March. I am a nurse, and I work there." She stared at Rosco, his shocked eyes on her, "I didn't talk with your deputy, but a friend of mine, Dolly – she works in the I.C.U., where she took care of deputy Strate when he was there – talked to him. She heard him asking for a friend who was having an heart attack." She turned to Jo, "I don't remember the name Dolly told us."

"Gus McCormick. Enos and Daisy were at the E.R. with Sarah McCormick because of Gus."

Ellen nodded at Jo's words, "Right. Deputy Strate and his girlfriend Daisy were there for Gus McCormick, one week ago, I am sure of it. I saw them. He had white bandages on his hands and his girlfriend on her forearm; he told my friend Dolly it was because of a fire."

"That nurse is right: Gus McCormick has had a heart attack last week, and he's still at the Atlanta Medical Center." Woman's voice behind them.

Everybody turned to the voice.

Mrs Rhuebottom blushed and looked down at the ground, keeping on speaking, "Hannah, Sarah's sister, told me 'bout it."

"So, it's true! Enos Strate and Daisy Duke are alive!" Mr Rhuebottom walked closer his wife and circled her shoulders with his arm, "I don't trust the Beaudrys, but it looks like the rumor is true." He smiled, "If Daisy and Enos were with Sarah and Gus at the Atlanta Medical Center, last week, it means they're stayin' at Gus' farm, or maybe in Atlanta."

Mrs Rhuebottom looked at her husband, "Thinking 'bout it… I remember Gus leaving the town, early in the morning, the day of the fire at Dukes' farm."

In front of the Police Department, several people were staring amazed at what's happening.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Daisy's hands slid from Enos' shoulders down to his belly, freeing his shirt from his trousers and slipping under his shirt, her fingers exploring his skin and his muscles' tensing.

He had a step back and parted from her, "Daisy! Not this! Not here and not now. Please!"

The bitter taste of rejection in her mouth, Daisy looked down at the ground.

"Daisy," he walked closer her, resting his hands on her shoulders, "I want it. You can't even know how much I want it, how much I have wanted it along the years. But this isn't the right place and time. I want to become your husband. I want to go back to Hazzard, stop all the lies goin' on, and marry you." He had a deep breath and smiled, his hands gently squeezing her shoulders, "Hey, what 'bout having a pause and goin' to the town? I need more paint for the fence. The town is 30 minutes by foot from here; we can have a walk to the town, having lunch there, buy the paint and whatever else you need, and come back."

Daisy smiled and nodded, "It's a great idea. But I have to dress something different than…" she looked at her overalls, "… this. Wait for me. And remember, if someone in town talks to us, we are Sonny and Catherine, we are from Valdosta, we are friends of Gus and Sarah and we are helping them with the farm while they are in Atlanta."

Enos had a deep sigh, "I hope this thing is goin' to end. I hate lies."

Daisy caressed his cheek, "I know, sugar. Be patient. I guess uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke are goin' to find the man who's threatening you very soon."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Rosco looked at the small crowd around them, then he turned to Jo and Ellen, "Mrs Russell, Mrs March. Come with me. I need to talk to you," he pointed at the white building behind him, "inside. Please."

Jo nodded and looked around, her heart beating furiously in her chest until she realized Nick wasn't among the people staring at her; she had a deep sigh of relief and walked to the Police Department.

Rosco turned to Cooter and pointed his finger at him, "And you! Call Jesse Duke and tell him to come here. I want to understand what's goin' on! Them Dukes!" He forgot of Cooter and walked behind Jo, Ellen and Cletus, still ranting, "Them Dukes! If they lied 'bout Enos and Daisy, I am goin' to arrest them for… false report… or whatever else it is." His rant turned into a chocked laugh, "kew-kew-kew-kwe! My dipstick is alive." And then again a rant, "Them Dukes! So disrespectful to a sensitive man like me! I am goin' to arrest them!"

Cooter put his hat off and scratched his hair. He shook his head and walked to the phone. He grabbed the receiver and dialed the Dukes' farm, waiting for an answer, the receiver pressed against his ear, "Jesse. This is Cooter speakin'. Troubles in town." He forgot of Maybelle and any prudence about talking by phone (no prudence was required, at that point), "Enos and Daisy's cover-up is gone. You should come here, something strange is goin' on at the Police Department."

Listening carefully to uncle Jesse, Cooter nodded. He put the receiver down and walked to the Police Department, piercing the human wall forming in the street, around him just a phrase, again and again.

"Hey, do you know? Enos Strate and Daisy Duke are alive. Really! The Beaudrys were right 'bout them bein' alive. They aren't in the hills but at Gus' place!"

Cooter shook his head and sighed.

Big troubles in town.

* * *

><p><strong>The book Daisy is reading in the previous chapter is "Love at the time of cholera", by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though my favorite book by this great author is "One hundred years of solitude" (OK, it doesn't matter, LOL).<strong>

**Stay tuned for the final chapters. Thanks. **


	28. Guessing it right

**GUESSING IT RIGHT**

_SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

"I am ready!" Daisy came out the cabin, her previous overalls replaced by a pink shirt, a pair of blue jeans and brown boots; her curly and brown hair flowed down her back. She walked to Enos and grabbed his hand, "Having lunch in town will be great!"

Enos held her hand and walked to the path heading to town.

She smiled, "I like this place."

He nodded, "It's a great place, you are right. But I can't enjoy my staying here."

Daisy squeezed his hand, "I know, Enos. You feel guilty because of uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke doin' your job and because of people believing you are dead. Stop feeling guilty, Enos. Please."

He shook his head, "It isn't so easy, Daisy. I have learnt to feel guilty for everything since when I was a child, at the age of 8."

Daisy stopped and turned to him, "When we'll go back to Hazzard, promise me to talk to uncle Jesse 'bout it. Uncle Jesse knew your aunt Iris and your uncle James, and I think he could help you to face your past sense of guilty."

Enos looked down at the ground and had a big sigh, "I promise you I'm goin' to talk to uncle Jesse. Yeah."

Daisy hugged him, "Thanks."

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Rosco pointed his right forefinger at uncle Jesse, Bo, Luke and Cooter entering the Police Department, "You! Dukes! You have a lot of things to explain me, now." He moved his finger to Jo and Ellen, sitting in front of his desk, "Mrs Russell and Mrs… ehm… sorry… Miss March are telling me about Enos and Daisy at the Atlanta Medical Center with Gus and Sarah McCormick, one week ago. Can you explain it? Your dirty tricks, as usual." He clenched and raised his fist, shaking it in the air, "You! I should arrest you for – "

"OK Rosco, stop it, now." Luke walked to Rosco's desk and stood in front of the Sheriff, his hands on his hips, "OK. Enos and Daisy are alive; it's impossible to deny it, now. We have decided to send them to Gus' place while we try to understand who wants Enos dead."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "We are sorry 'bout our lie and 'bout your grief. We are really sorry, Rosco. We can't protect Enos if we don't know who is attacking him, and it's why we have decided to keep him away from Hazzard. I am sorry for hurting you, Rosco."

Rosco stared at uncle Jesse, his fist now motionless because of the surprise. He slowly lowered his fist and opened his hand, "Ok. I accept your apologies, Jesse, but you should have warned me 'bout your plan. I am the Sheriff, here, and I have everything in hand."

Bo rolled his eyes and then shook his head, having a big sigh. He folded his arms, "You have nothing in hand. WE have nothing in hand; otherwise that man wouldn't have burnt our barn. What waiting for, after the fire? We have to protect Enos; the threat is inside Hazzard, we know it but we haven't identified it, yet."

Uncle Jesse nodded, "We haven't identified it, yet, and it's why we have to find a way to stop the rumor about Enos and Daisy with Gus and Sarah." He looked at Jo, "Mrs Russell, I am sorry to ask it to you, but you should – "

Jo stood up, "I know who is threatening Enos. It's why I am here. I am here in order to report the man who nearly killed Enos."

"WHAT?" The room resounded of men's voices, their eyes on Jo.

Jo blushed, "I was trying to talk about it, Sheriff, but you kept on asking me about Enos and Daisy being alive or not!" She had a deep breath and let it go, "I want to report my husband Nick Russell for trying to kill Enos Strate."

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

"Are you OK, Mrs Russell?"

Jo wiped her tears away and smiled, "Sorry. The last picture of my mother is in my wallet. It's why I am so sad of losing it." She bit her lower lip, ashamed of her lie. She looked at Enos, his worried eyes on her.

He smiled shyly, "I'll do my best in order to find it. Do you remember the last time you used your wallet?"

Jo shook her head, "I don't remember." Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why was she so stupid? Why wasn't she able to talk to him about the real reason of her being there? She wrapped her arms around her waist; in her hugging herself, she briefly and accidentally showed her forearms.

Enos frowned.

Jo caught his eyes on her forearms and covered her bruises with her shirt's sleeves, "It's because I lifted some heavy pots up."

He remained silent for a while, "I guess your job can be really hard." He looked into her eyes, "Is it just because of your job?"

Jo's heart was beating furiously in her chest. Talk! Talk! Talk! Talk about what Nick is doing to you! Her heart was shouting at her mind, but she made it be quiet, "Yeah, it's just because of my job. Thanks Enos. Hope you are going to find my wallet, or maybe I am going to find it by myself, if I recall the last time I used it." She turned round and she walked away, leaving the Police Department.

After her nearly confession, day by day, she noticed Enos looking at her and Nick with attention, studying them. Did he understand what's going on between her and Nick away from the public eye?

* * *

><p>Bo scratched his head, "Do you recall, Luke? Time ago Enos talked to us about something really private, police business. He looked worried."<p>

Luke nodded, "He was probably trying to understand what's going on between Mr and Mrs Russell. I am surprised about Enos being suspicious of Jo's bruises, anyway." He stared at Jo, "Are you sure that Enos was looking at you in a different way, studying you and Mr Russell?"

Jo nodded, "Yeah. I am pretty sure he guessed about Nick…" she blushed, her mouth dry, "… abusing me. I am sure of it because of something he told me. On Daisy's birthday, Enos bought a bouquet of white roses; when he entered the Shop, that evening, I was crying, again," venom in her mouth. "Nick wasn't there. I perfectly remember Enos' words. It happened few days before I left Hazzard. I think I decided to leave thanks to those words. He opened my eyes."

"_Mrs Russell, everybody deserves to be loved and honored. Everybody deserves to be valued and cherished. Your feelings are valid; you have the right to your own opinions and beliefs, to not have to make excuses to anyone else."_

After repeating Enos' words, Jo shook her head, "I don't understand, yet, how he guessed about what's going on between me and Nick, but I am grateful he guessed it right. Though I hadn't the nerve to be honest to him."

Uncle Jesse gently caressed his beard, "I reckon why Enos guessed it right and why he was so upset and touched."

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE, IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

His right arm around her shoulders, Daisy walked by Enos' side; she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her left arm around his waist, while resting her right hand on his belly.

She liked to walk that way, the left side of her body pressed against him.

He gently placed his left hand on her right forearm, caressing it.

She turned her face to his chest and inhaled his scent.

He suddenly stopped and parted from her, his right hand on his face.

"Enos? What's wrong?" She grabbed his shirt.

Headache. Pulsing headache, like strong knocking at his mind.

He moved his right hand away and circled again her shoulders with his right arm, "Headache, don't worry. Sometimes it happens."

Daisy nodded, remembering his past words about his headache and how he had to live with it after leaving the Hospital, "Do you want to go back to the cabin?"

He shook his head, "No. I think that having a walk can help me. The air is fresh and pure, here. I am feeling better, now, don't worry."

Forearms, bruises, his aunt Iris: turmoil in his head. He closed his eyes and washed away his past nightmare about his aunt Iris, inhaling the pure air and holding Daisy tight.

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

"After all, it was really a matter of jealousy, though we missed the source of this jealousy," Bo glanced at Luke, then he stared at Jo, his eyebrows raised in surprise, "So, your husband Nick was jealous about you and Enos."

Jo nodded, "He thought I had a love affair with Enos. It wasn't true, of course, but he blamed me for having a crush on Enos." She stood up and walked to the window, looking outside, unable to stand everybody's eyes on her, "Nick blamed me for being jealous of him and flirting with Enos in order get even with him. It wasn't true. I wasn't jealous, and I wasn't flirting with Enos. When I stayed with Nick everything was confused: I didn't understand anymore what I was feeling and what I was thinking. At some point, he really managed to make me think I was jealous of him and I was flirting with Enos; he managed to make me think I really felt something for Enos. I was like under a evil spell." She wrapped her arms around her waist, "It's difficult to explain, but Nick was able to instill venom in me, weakening my sense of reality and self worth. I have realized it after walking away from him." She turned around, staring at the men in front of her, "Nick has a mask on, he isn't the kind and caring man everybody thinks. I don't know if he is really able to kill, and I can't be sure he is really involved in what happened to Enos, but I know that Nick held a grudge on Enos, he blamed me for having a love affair with Enos and he talked really bad of Enos; Enos was injured some days after my leaving, and I think it isn't a coincidence. I was away from Hazzard, no contact with Nick or everybody else, so I didn't know about Enos 'til yesterday. This is the reason why I have decided to come back to Hazzard."

Uncle Jesse walked to Jo and rested his hands on her shoulders, "I understand what you are talking 'bout, Josephine. Many years ago, before you moved to Hazzard with Nick, something similar happened, here. Sometimes devils mask themselves as sheep. They are the crazy ones but they make people around them feel crazy, or they go around shaming others; I have learnt that healthy people don't go around shaming others, and I am sorry I didn't realize what was going on when Nick talked of you like a weak and over-sensitive person because of your mother's problems."

Jo blushed and looked down at the floor, "I am not surprised about Nick talking of me that way. He can be so convincing, and for sure people believed him; I knew it, and it's why I couldn't talk with anybody, 'cause nobody would have believed me, thinking instead I was crazy. Nick could use every word of mine to show everybody I was crazy. I was trapped, and, to be honest, I was really starting to think I was crazy. But now things have changed: I have moved away, I am free and I have realized what was going on. He was abusing me, both physically and psychologically, and I accepted it 'cause he managed to make me feel wrong in everything I said and felt."

Uncle Jesse squeezed Jo's shoulders, "I am glad you are safe, Josephine. Iris, Enos' aunt, faced a different fate, and I still regret I wasn't enough mature and wise to understand what's going on, saving her."

"Iris? Enos' aunt?"

Uncle Jesse nodded at Jo's surprised question, "I am goin' to talk to you 'bout it, but not now. It is a long story and we have no time." He parted from Jo and turned round, staring at his nephews, Cooter, Cletus and Rosco, "I think we should have a talk with Nick Russell."


	29. Phones ringing in empty rooms

**PHONES RINGING IN EMPTY ROOMS**

_HAZZARD_

"Does your husband Nick own a gun?" Bo glanced at Jo while they came out the Police Department, crossing Hazzard's square and heading to the Florist Shop.

Jo nodded, "He keeps it in a drawer inside the Shop."

Bo stared at Rosco, "Now, we should take that gun and check if – "

Rosco frowned, "Bo Duke! There's no need you to teach me how doin' my job!"

Luke shook his head and sighed, "OK. Go and find that gun. And have a talk with Nick Russell." He looked at the buildings around him, "The Boarding House is really close the Florist Shop. Nick could control every Enos' move. I wouldn't be surprised to know Mr Russell followed Enos when he left the Boarding House, that night."

Jo stopped and looked at Ellen, "When we arrived here, this morning, Nick's van was parked in front of the Shop, but now the van is gone and the Shop's door is closed."

Uncle Jesse wrinkled his eyebrows, "Maybe he is at the nursery to check his flowers and plants," no certainty in his voice but a soft doubt.

Jo shook her head, "We usually went to the nursery early in the morning then we worked in the Shop. Maybe he is out for a delivery, or maybe he has changed our past habits."

Cooter rested his hand on Jo's shoulder, "Have you the key, Mrs Russell?"

Jo blushed and fumbled in her bag for the key that was still there remembering her of her past life, the same way Nick was still in her heart remembering her of how much she loved him despite she kept on fighting against that feeling. In her heart she hoped Nick was responsible for Enos' injuring (so proving her he was really evil) and at the same time she hoped he wasn't involved in it (so proving her he wasn't so bad, after all. Maybe… just maybe…).

Jo's hand trembled when her fingers touched the cold metal of the key. Away from Hazzard, away from Nick, away from everything that could recall her of Nick, she was learning to trust her guts and to realize how toxic Nick has been for her, but now, in front of their Shop (the Shop she built with Nick after they married), she felt totally confused, again that confusion about her senses. She was lucky Nick wasn't there otherwise she would have hugged him, asking him to forgive her. She shivered: forgive for what? For being his victim? For having left him after his psychological and physical abuses?

Why did it take so long to get over that pathological relationship?

The key entered the keyhole and the Shop's door opened. Jo had a step back and let the Dukes, Rosco, Cletus and Cooter come in; from the doorstep, she pointed at the drawer near the cash register, "The gun is there." She couldn't enter: that place was both her heaven and her hell, a heaven turned into hell.

Luke opened the drawer and shook his head, "The gun isn't here."

Bo glanced at Luke and then at the empty drawer, "Maybe he freed himself of the gun after shooting at Enos. Or…" he closed the drawer and stared at Luke, "Are you thinking of the same thing?"

Luke rested his hands on his hips, looked down at the floor and walked out the Shop. He sighed, "I am thinking of the same thing but I hope we are wrong, Bo."

Cletus put his hat off and scratched his head, "What's wrong?"

Mr O'Connor walked closer the group in front of the Florist Shop, "Jesse. Is it real? 'Bout Enos and Daisy alive, at Gus' place? Everybody in Hazzard is talking 'bout it."

Uncle Jesse looked at Mr O'Connor, his voice soft, "Please, Arthur. Not now. I am goin' to explain you everything. I am goin' to explain everything to everyone, but not now."

Luke walked to The General Lee and grabbed the CB receiver, "We have just one way to find it out, Bo." He pushed the button on the receiver, "This is Luke Duke talkin' to everybody out there. If you have met Nick Russell, answer me, please. And if you are hearing me, Nick, stop it. Now. We know everything, and you can't run away."

Silence, just a buzz from the CB, a buzz finally turning into a voice, "This is Darcy speakin'. Luke, I bumped into Nick Russell's van on Drexel Road, nearly one hour ago."

Luke's knuckles turned pale as he squeezed the CB receiver, "Thanks Darcy. What direction?"

"North. What's goin' on, Luke?"

Luke had a big sigh, "I am goin' to explain you everything, but not now. Thanks for your help." He put the receiver down and turned at Bo, "It's happening. Unfortunately."

Jo had a step toward Bo and Luke, "Our nursery is in Cedar Point Road, far away Drexel Road. And I don't know anybody in Drexel Road to bring our flowers or plants to."

Bo nodded, "Nick isn't goin' to your nursery. Neither having a delivery. In order to leave Hazzard and reach the Blue Ridge Mountains, and so Gus McCormick's house, you have to take Drexel Road. Our farm is nearby Drexel Road, and it's why Gus, before leaving Hazzard, always stops at our farm. I guess Nick is leaving Hazzard in order to find out if Enos and Daisy are really alive, and to settle his score with Enos."

Jo placed her hands on her mouth, "Oh my God! No!"

Luke scratched his head in frustration, "This is what I was planning to do: let the man who nearly killed Enos wonder if Enos and Daisy are really alive, and push him in trap through this doubt and fake clues." He hit The General Lee's hood with his fist, "It's my fault. I have pushed that man to Enos and Daisy, instead. And, now, Enos and Daisy are in trap."

Uncle Jesse walked closer Luke, "Luke! It isn't your fault. It wasn't YOUR plan, but OUR plan, so we are responsible as much as you. Now, we have to warn Enos and Daisy, and we have to reach Nick Russell." He turned to Rosco, "Rosco, call the Gilmer County's Sheriff and warn him about a killer coming to his County; meanwhile, I am goin' to call Gus' farm, though I think Enos and Daisy, if there, aren't goin' to answer the phone, not knowing it's me, but I am goin' to have a try." He had a disappointed sigh then he stared at Bo and Luke, "And you," he pointed at The General Lee, "you can reach Nick, though he is one hour ahead. The General is The General."

* * *

><p><em>GILMER COUNTY, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

Daisy looked up at the blue sky, enjoying the warm sunlight on her face, "I love it."

Enos squeezed her hand, walking silently by her side.

They walked slowly, enjoying any step from the town to their cabin.

In the glade in front of the cabin, the sun lighted a red van.

Enos stopped and frowned, a distant alarm ringing in his head. He squeezed Daisy's hand even more.

"Walk to the cabin and come in."

Enos stiffened at the cold voice behind him. A metallic click told Enos much more than the voice, a click he knew pretty well, being a cop: the click of a loading gun. The distant alarm turned into a frantic and close alarm.

"Don't try to resist, Enos, or I am goin' to kill Daisy Duke."

Enos recognized the voice, and the puzzle finally formed in his mind. Finally but late.

Meanwhile, a phone was ringing inside the empty Gilmer County Police Department, and another phone was ringing inside the McCormick's empty farm.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE FROM HAZZARD COUNTY TO GILMER COUNTY<em>

Knelt near The General Lee's flat tire, Luke placed the jack against the underside of the car, "We really didn't need a flat tire!"

Bo helped his older cousin to remove the flat tire and to place the spare one on the hub, their moves as quick as possible, "I hope uncle Jesse and Rosco managed to warn Enos and Daisy 'bout Nick Russell."

Luke shook his head in frustration, tightening the nuts by hand until all snug, "It seems everything is goin' wrong. EVERYTHING. I didn't managed to find out what happened to Enos until Jo's coming back to Hazzard, and now Enos and Daisy are in the danger in the place I decided to send them in order to protect them. If Nick Russell is goin' there, now, it is also because of my plan: if I hadn't instilled the doubt 'bout Enos and Daisy bein' alive into Nick's mind before Jo's coming, maybe – "

"Luke!" Bo placed his hand on Luke's shoulder, "Stop it! It isn't your fault. Your plan was great, and it would have worked if Josephine Russell hadn't come to Hazzard with the news of Enos and Daisy at the Atlanta Medical Center. You couldn't prevent it. It's an absurd coincidence, a mix of absurd coincidences."

Luke nodded and stood up, wiping his greasy hands on his jeans, "OK. We can't waste our time, now. Gilmer County isn't far, and for sure Nick Russell is already there. Come on!"

* * *

><p><em>GILMER COUNTY, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

"Sit down and don't try to resist."

Daisy sat by Enos' right side on the cabin's couch, Nick Russell in front of them, a gun in his hand.

Nick Russell?

Confused and scared, Daisy looked at Enos, "Enos? What's goin' on?"

"SHUT UP!"

Daisy started at Nick's sudden shout. She stared at the florist and wondered how that man could be the culprit they were looking for: Nick Russell, loving husband and honest citizen. Was it possible?

"Now, Daisy Duke, I am going to tell you how your boyfriend was cheating on you with my wife Josephine. Then, I am going to kill him and, of course, I am going to kill you too, Daisy. I am sorry for you but I can't leave any witness behind."

"Please, Mr Russell. Let Daisy go. She has nothing to do with it. I had no affair with your wife Josephine, and I don't know how you can believe – "

"SHUT UP!"

The first bullet entered the couch, few inches by Enos' left side.


	30. Gunshots

**GUNSHOTS**

_GILMER COUNTY, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

Daisy grabbed Enos' shirt, she buried her face against Enos' chest and closed her eyes, praying for help.

Enos gently rested his right hand on Daisy's nape, "Please, Mr Russell. I have never had a love affair with your wife Josephine. Believe me."

Nick Russell laughed, a cold laugh, "You are a liar, Enos Strate."

Enos hold Daisy's tight.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

Josephine sobbed and rubbed her face against his chest, her tears dampening his shirt, and through his shirt, also his skin.

Enos felt uncomfortable. He hated to see women crying, no matter the reason of their crying.

He rested his hands on Josephine's elbows and he gently parted from her, "Are you OK, Mrs Russell?"

Finally away from her, he sighed in relief, looking at her wiping her tears and talking about her wallet and the last picture of her mother, his heart moved by that grief and pain. He was going to find that wallet, if it was so important for that woman. He smiled at her, trying to cheer her up, ""I'll do my best in order to find it. Do you remember the last time you used your wallet?"

Josephine Russell shook her head, wrapping her arms around her waist, "I don't remember."

Bruises on her arms, Enos caught it before she rolled her shirt's sleeves down.

"It's because I lifted some heavy pots up."

Unrequested explanation. His past experience as cop in a big and violent city as LA taught him what that kind of unrequested explanation meant: it wasn't because of some heavy pots.

Enos looked carefully at Josephine Russell, her defensive attitude recalling him another woman from his past. He recalled uncle James slapping aunt Iris. He recalled Nick Russell laughing of Josephine Russell and her painful biting her lips and looking away: brief scene he caught while he crossed Hazzard's square and glanced at The Florist Shop, some months before, now surfacing to his mind with a new meaning.

He wondered what was going on at The Florist Shop, away from the public eye.

His heart raced in his chest, "I guess your job can be really hard." Brief pause, "Is it just because of your job?"

"Yeah, it's just because of my job. Thanks Enos. Hope you are going to find my wallet, or maybe I am going to find it by myself, if I recall the last time I used it." Josephine turned round and walked away, leaving the Police Department.

His eyes on her while she walked away, Enos wondered if he was guessing it right: was Josephine trying to talk to him about her hell with Nick Russell? Did he really see the real face of Nick Russell, that day, through The Florist Shop's window?

When he was a child, he decided to become a cop in order to protect women like his aunt Iris, and now he had the chance to fulfill that purpose.

* * *

><p><em>SOMEWHERE FROM HAZZARD COUNTY TO GILMER COUNTY<em>

Luke scratched his head in frustration, his blue eyes on the road blocked because of a car wreck, "I can't believe it!"

Bo glanced at Luke, "It seems nobody is injured, fortunately."

"Yeah, nobody is injured but the road is blocked!"

Bo smiled, "Don't forget The General is The General, cousin."

The General Lee's horn and Bo and Luke's "YEEHAH!" filled the mountain air while the orange car jumped over the wrecked cars blocking the road.

* * *

><p><em>GILMER COUNTY, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS<em>

"I reckon you convinced Josephine to leave me!"

Facing Nick Russell's anger, Enos tried to stay calm, "I have no influence on your wife, Mr Russell. I am honest when I say nothing happened between your wife and me. I can't love your wife 'cause I have always loved just one woman, and this woman is Daisy Duke." His hand on Daisy's nape gently trembled, "Please. Now, let Daisy go. I'll stay here with you and we'll talk, man to man talking. OK?"

Nick Russell's voice turned colder and colder, "Don't try to foolish me, Enos. If I let Daisy go, she'll ask for help. Besides, I have already said I don't want witnesses. Both of you are goin' to die."

Enos swallowed against the lump in his throat, "Nick. For sure the Dukes are goin' to find out what you have done, or maybe they have already found it out, witnesses or not. You have a score to settle with me, haven't you? OK, let Daisy go, kill me and run away. I guess the Dukes are already after you, so there's no need to kill Daisy too. Kill me and let Daisy go."

Daisy parted from Enos, terrified, "Enos! Stop it!"

Nick pointed his gun at Enos, "You are right. I have a score to settle with you. Your girlfriend is goin' to cry over your dead body."

Enos looked at the gun, and he recalled the night he got injured, last piece of the puzzle.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

Josephine Russell left Hazzard the week before. People said it was because of her mother; Josephine was going to stay by her mother's side like she did years before.

Enos rolled on his side, unable to sleep.

Did he guess it right about Nick and Josephine? He felt he guessed it right, his system shouted him he was right, but he couldn't answer all the questions floating into his mind: did Josephine use the loss of her wallet and her last picture of her mother as an excuse to talk to him? Why did she tell him her mother was dead if not true, otherwise? Was he misunderstanding everything?

No, he wasn't misunderstanding what's going on. When he entered The Florist Shop, two weeks before (it was Daisy's birthday), Josephine was wiping her tears, no doubt about it. Was it because of her mother? Was it because of her husband? His system shouted him he was because of Nick Russell, he trusted his guts but he couldn't be totally sure about it if Josephine didn't talk to him.

"_Mrs Russell, everybody deserves to be loved and honored. Everybody deserves to be valued and cherished. Your feelings are valid; you have the right to your own opinions and beliefs, to not have to make excuses to anyone else."_

Did the words he told her that evening mean something to her? Did he manage to let her understand he knew what's going on? Did he manage to let her understand the sense of staying with someone?

Since Josephine Russell was gone, he couldn't have any answer.

Was Josephine Russell safe?

He stood up and walked to the fridge. He opened it, he filled a glass with buttermilk and sat at the table, sighing. Sipping the buttermilk, he looked at the moonlight entering the room.

Full-moon night: a perfect night for reaching Yellow Creek and think of everything, just the starry sky above him.

* * *

><p>Enos recalled his leaving the Boarding House in that full-moon night.<p>

He recalled the road to Yellow Creek.

His memories suddenly faded into a strong headache and smell of roses: he didn't remember Nick hitting him (he remembered just the headache because of that blow), knocking him unconscious and bringing him to Rockdale County with the van usually used for deliveries (he remembered just the smell of roses during that journey).

Finally, the figure of a masked man, a gun and then a sudden bellyache surfaced to Enos' mind.

Every piece of the puzzle was at its place, late and pointless memories.

That gun was still pointed at him, not in Rockdale County but in Gilmer County, not a masked man in front of him but Nick Russell.

"Daisy Duke, move away from him."

Daisy turned to Nick, her fierce eyes on him, "No! If you want to kill Enos, you have to kill me too!"

Screeching of tires stopping on the ground in front of the cabin diverted Nick's attention from Enos and Daisy.

Just a brief distraction, and Enos jumped from the couch to Nick, grabbing Nick's arms and trying to disarm him, "Daisy! Go out and ask for help!"

Daisy rushed to the door, she opened it and ran down the porch's stairs, her heart bursting of joy when she saw Bo and Luke coming out The General. They were there, and they were going to stop Nick Russell.

"Bo! Luke! Nick Russell is inside the cabin, and he wants to kill Enos!"

In the glade, she waited for Bo and Luke reaching her, then she turned round, ready to run back to the cabin with her cousins, their running suddenly stopped by two gunshot filling the air; brief stop while they looked at each other, just terror on their face, before to dash inside the cabin.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to everybody who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. <strong>

**Stay tuned for the final, and let me know what you think about it.**


	31. It's over

**IT'S OVER**

_GILMER COUNTY, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS_

Two gunshots filled the mountain air, stopping Bo, Luke and Daisy in their run to the cabin. They looked at each other, sharing their fear, and they finally dashed into the cabin, where they held their breath at the sight of the two men lying on the floor, the gun between them.

Daisy knelt by Enos' side, her heart beating furiously in her chest and a deep cold rising from her feet to her head, "Enos! Oh My! Enos!" Her eyes lingered on his motionless body, from his head to his right leg and to the bloody stain widening on his thigh.

Bo and Luke reached Nick Russell and stopped him while he tried to reach his gun.

"Stop it, Nick! It's over! You are over!" Bo grabbed Nick's shirt and moved him away from the gun, pushing him on a chair, "Don't move!" He turned to Luke, "Luke! Take the rope inside The General!"

Nick rested his right hand on his left arm, trying to stop the bleeding, "I am injured."

Bo frowned and pointed his forefinger at Nick, "Don't try to move me to pity, Nick. You deserve much more than that scratch on your arm."

Luke came back, the rope in his hands; he walked to Nick and tied him to the chair.

"Bo! Luke! Forget of Nick and help Enos. He is bleeding a lot!"

Luke turned round, staring at Daisy, her eyes open wide in fear, and at Enos lying motionless on the floor, a pool of blood widening under his right leg. He took a deep breath, he showed his usual self-control (hiding his gentle trembling) and he acted as Bo and Daisy were waiting for. He glanced at Bo, his voice calm and low, "Bo, Gus' farm is nearby. Go and call for help. Call the Sheriff and an ambulance." He stared at Bo running out the cabin and then turned to Daisy, "Daisy, have you some bandages, or a medicine chest?"

Daisy nodded, pointing at the near door, in her eyes her total trust in Luke, "In the bathroom." She looked at Luke walking to the bathroom and then at Enos, gently caressing his forehead and brushing aside a lock of hair, "Don't worry, sugar. Bo and Luke are goin' to help you." His skin was cold and wet. Not good.

Enos opened his eyes, "Nick. He is injured. We were fighting for the gun and we both got injured. Take care of him too."

"ENOS! Nick tried to kill you! TWICE! He burnt our barn and killed our animals. How can you ask me to help him? NO WAY! I don't care if he survives or dies!" In her voice surprise and rage.

Enos had a deep breath, "Daisy, please. Don't talk this way. Uncle Jesse wouldn't be happy if he heard you, now. I am a police officer, not an avenger. I have to arrest Nick for his crimes, not to kill him."

Coming out the bathroom, Luke walked to Enos and Daisy and knelt by Enos' side, "Enos is right, Daisy. Remember uncle Jesse's words. We don't live in this World in order to hate or judge people; we have to help our foes, if they need our help. You are angry to Nick; me too, but it doesn't mean I am goin' to let him die. Now, while I help Enos, go to Nick and dress his wound with these bandages." He passed Daisy some white bandages, "Please."

Daisy grabbed the bandages, stood up and reached Nick. Indifferent to Nick's moans, she quickly dressed the wound on his right arm, just a superficial wound, "Stop moaning. It's just a scratch!"

Enos' moaning fused with Nick's one, and Daisy totally forgot of Nick; she turned round and she reached Luke, "Luke! You are hurting Enos!"

Luke glanced at Daisy and kept on wrapping the white bandages around Enos' thigh, "I am not hurting him, but trying to stop the bleeding." He stared at the white bandages turning red and shook his head, "It isn't enough. The bullet probably cut a big blood vessel." He took his belt off and tied it around Enos' thigh.

Enos' back arched and a throaty moan erupted from his half-closed lips.

"LUKE!" Daisy's hands instinctively reached the belt clutched around Enos' thigh, trying to loosen it.

Luke's hands grabbed Daisy's wrists and gently stopped her, "Daisy. It's the only way to stop the bleeding. Trust me. I know what I am doin'. I learnt it in Vietnam."

Daisy closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Luke's chest, nodding, "I don't want to see Enos suffering."

Luke rested his hand on Daisy's nape, "Neither I. But it's the only way to stop the bleeding." He had a deep sigh and stared at Enos, "Hey buddy. I won't let you die, don't worry."

Despite the pain in his leg, Enos managed to smile, "I know. Thanks Luke. I really appreciate what you're doin' for me."

Bo dashed inside the cabin, his breathe heavy after a long run, "Gilmer County's Sheriff is coming, and an ambulance too. Fortunately, the town, and so the Police Department, isn't far, but I think it won't be easy for the ambulance."

Daisy turned to Bo, "Why?"

Bo scratched his head in frustration, "The deputy told me that there is only one road to the town, but that road is still blocked because of a car wreck," he glanced at Luke, "the wreck we saw coming here. Until the road is blocked, the ambulance can't arrive here. It's the only road in order to reach and leave Gilmer County."

Daisy glanced at Enos' leg, the bleeding slowed down but not blocked, yet, "BUT… we have to take Enos to the Hospital as soon as possible!" She looked at Enos, his eyes closed and his breath regular but heavy. Not good.

Luke looked at Bo, "We can't wait for the ambulance here. For starters, we are goin' to put Nick into the hands of the Sheriff. Then, since the ambulance can't arrive here because of the car wreck, we'll bring Enos to the ambulance and paramedics." He smiled, "We passed the block on our way here, and we're goin' to pass the block again on our way back."

Bo nodded, "I hope the Sheriff and his deputies – "

"What's happening?" A middle-aged man in green uniform entered the cabin; behind him, two younger men.

Bo sighed in relief and looked at the men. He started to explain them everything, his forefinger and eyes moving from Nick Russell to Enos and from Enos to Nick Russell. He finally looked at Luke and Daisy, "And we have to bring our friend to the Hospital. If the road is still blocked, we can't wait for the ambulance here."

Gilmer County's Sheriff nodded. He turned to his deputies, "Bring that man to the Police Department and call Doc Donald; his wound doesn't look so bad, and Doc is going to take care of him while he stays in jail, waiting for State Police." He looked at his deputies freeing Nick Russell from the rope, cuffing him and bringing him away. He finally focused his attention on Enos and the Dukes, "OK. I am goin' to help you to bring your friend to your car," he shook his head and sighed, "an orange Dodge Charger. I guess your car is the flying car at the car wreck's place. Some people warned me about it by C.B., but I thought they were drunk."

Bo smiled amused, "Yeah. It's our car, sir." He turned serious and walked to Enos with the Sheriff, "Thanks for your help."

The Sheriff nodded, "The road is still blocked, unfortunately. We are waiting for the tow truck. I am going to warn my deputy, there, of your arrival, and he is goin' to warn the ambulance. If the ambulance can't reach your friend, your friend is going to reach the ambulance."

Daisy parted from Enos and looked at the men gently taking Enos in their arms and bringing him outside the cabin. She walked behind them, her eyes on Enos, no more moans from him. Not good, he was drifting into a deeper and deeper unconsciousness.

Enos finally on the back seat of the General, Daisy came into the car, hugging him and waiting for Bo and Luke.

* * *

><p><em>HAZZARD<em>

Cletus, Cooter, uncle Jesse, Josephine and Ellen: everybody's eyes on Rosco.

Rosco put the receiver down and looked at his audience, "It's Gilmer County's Sheriff. Nick Russell has been arrested after trying to kill Enos. Both Mr Russell and Enos are injured; Mr Russell is fine but Enos is in bad shape. Unfortunately, the road to Gilmer County is blocked because of a car wreck, so the ambulance can't reach Enos; now, Bo, Luke and Daisy are bringing Enos to the ambulance, trying to pass the block."

Josephine collapsed on a chair and covered her face with her hands, sobbing: she cried both for Enos and Nick. And for herself.

Ellen gently rested her hand on Josephine's shoulder.

Cletus and Cooter put their hat off and looked at the floor.

Uncle Jesse had a big sigh and shook his head.

Rosco walked from his desk to the window, "I hope your niece and nephews are goin' to save Enos, Jesse. Or I'll consider you all responsible of everything." In his voice a mix of pain and rage, "I don't want to cry over Enos' death, twice," he turned round and pointed his forefinger at uncle Jesse, "I don't want to cry over Enos' death. You can't break my heart twice, Jesse!"

Cooter stared at Rosco and had a step to him, "Rosco! Jesse isn't responsible of it. How can you talk to him this way? He is worrying of Enos like you, probably more than you, and – "

"Cooter!" Uncle Jesse's authoritative voice stopped Cooter. He stared at Rosco, his voice now calm, "You are right, Rosco. I hurt you with the fake funeral, and I am sorry. Now, please, pray for Enos; this is the only thing we can do. I trust Bo, Luke and Daisy, and I am sure they are goin' to save Enos, but actually I can just pray for them." He walked to the door, "And reach them to the Atlanta Medical Center. Come on."

* * *

><p><em>ON THE WAY FROM GILMER COUNTY TO ATLANTA<em>

"YEEHAH!" The General Lee jumped over the wrecked cars and the tow truck blocking the road, people's eyes open wide as they stared at it.

After the jump, the car kept on its run.

Luke turned his head to Daisy, "How's Enos?"

Daisy shook her head, "I don't know. It seems the bleeding is over, but he's sleeping deeply. I don't know if it's good or bad."

"The ambulance!" Bo stopped the car in front of the ambulance coming from the opposite direction, blocking the road and so the ambulance.

Luke came out the car and reached the ambulance, talking to the man driving it, and Bo reached him.

From the back seat, Daisy looked at his cousins and at the paramedics approaching The General. She let the men taking Enos in their arms and lying him on the stretcher. She came out the car and walked closer Luke, she grabbed his shirt and she looked at the paramedics working around Enos.

"Good job. A tourniquet." One of the paramedics glanced at Luke's belt on Enos' thigh and then at Luke, "You have stopped the bleeding, saving his life. His vital signs are good, though he has lost a lot of blood."

Bo stared at the paramedic, his voice full of worrisome and fear, "Is he goin' to survive?"

The paramedic smiled, "He isn't going to die for this. Don't worry. He'll need some time to recover, but he'll recover."

Enos slowly opened his eyes and looked at Bo, smiling, his voice low but clear, "Of course I won't die for this, Bo. I faced something worse."

Bo laughed and patted Enos' shoulder, "Well said, buddy."

Daisy buried her face against Luke's chest, bursting out crying in relief, while the paramedics pushed the stretcher inside the ambulance.


	32. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER

A fresh hand touched his burning skin. Enos opened his eyes despite a dull pain pulsing behind his eye sockets.

"Hey Enos." Daisy smiled and slid her hand from his cheek to his shoulder.

He forced his low voice out his dry throat, "Hi Dais."

Her soft lips touched his ones. He closed his eyes and slipped again into a confused state of sleeping and wakefulness, a cream-colored ceiling above him.

* * *

><p>When he moved his right leg, a stabbing pain cut his breath off and made him open his eyes wide. He caught his breath and then let it go with a soft moan.<p>

"How do you feel, Enos?"

Enos turned his head to the man sitting by the bed's side, "I am fine, Jesse. Don't worry." He looked at the room, looking for Daisy, "Where's Daisy?"

"Daisy, Bo and Luke are talking with police officers. They witnessed Nick Russell trying to kill you, and they have to answer police officers' questions."

Enos sighed, "If Bo and Luke hadn't arrived – "

"Don't think 'bout it, now." Uncle Jesse stood up and walked to the table near the bed, he filled a glass with water, "Drink some water. You need it."

Enos accepted uncle Jesse's help, the older man's arm around his shoulders while he sat up, and drank the fresh water. He finally collapsed on the bed, "Thanks, uncle Jesse." He had a deep sigh and looked again at uncle Jesse who was sitting on the armchair near the bed, "How did Bo and Luke find out 'bout Nick coming to Gilmer County?"

Uncle Jesse caressed his beard and relaxed, "Well, it's a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it or do you prefer to rest a bit?"

Enos shook his head, "I don't want to rest. I want to know everything. Please."

Uncle Jesse smiled and nodded, "Ok." He rested his hands on his knees and started talking while Enos listened to him, no questions interrupting his long talk. He finally had a deep sigh, "You know, everybody in Hazzard is shocked 'bout Mr Russell. Everybody thought of him as a kind man and caring husband."

Enos averted his eyes from uncle Jesse and looked at the ceiling, "Sometimes people look really different than they really are. Sometimes devils act like angels while blaming other people for being evil, or crazy, or weird." He felt the eyes of the older and wise man on him, and waited for the question he knew upcoming.

"You knew 'bout Mr Russell abusing her wife, didn't you? Josephine Russell told us 'bout her attempt to report his husband and her changing her mind; you understood it and you decided to keep an eye on her and Nick. Unfortunately, you forgot of everything after Nick hurt you in Yellow Creek."

Enos nodded, his eyes still focused on the cream-colored ceiling while he waited for uncle Jesse's conclusion.

"Enos, I know what you are thinking of, now. Nick and Josephine recall you of your aunt Iris and your uncle James. I guess your talking 'bout devils acting like angels and blaming other people for being evil or crazy isn't because of Nick and Josephine Russell. You recognized the devil behind Nick Russell's mask because you met another devil and his victim when you were a child. Am I right?"

Enos blushed, "Did Daisy tell you about my talking of aunt Iris and uncle James?"

Uncle Jesse smiled sweetly, "Yesterday Daisy asked me about your aunt and uncle. So, I asked her why that question and she finally told me about your talk. She didn't want to betray your trust, Enos, but she was really shocked about Nick and Josephine Russell, she was shocked to hear Josephine talking of her life with Nick – Daisy talked a lot with Josephine, yeah - and she linked Nick and Josephine's kind of relationship with your aunt and uncle's story." He stared at the younger man and waited patiently. He finally had a deep sigh, "If you don't want to talk 'bout it, I am not goin' to force you, but remember you can talk about it whenever you want."

Enos nodded, "I know. Thanks. But… actually I don't want to talk about it." He closed his eyes, "I think I am having a fever, again."

Uncle Jesse gently touched Enos' forehead with his right hand, "Yeah. You're having a fever. Have some rest, Enos."

* * *

><p>Daisy sat on Enos' bed and caressed his hair, "Oh sugar. You are still burning with fever."<p>

Emerging again from his sleeping state, Enos looked at Daisy and smiled, "I am fine, don't worry, especially if you caress me this way. Your hands are so fresh, Dais."

Daisy laughed and pinched his cheek, "You are really sweet, sugar."

Bo walked near the bed and smiled, "I am glad you're fine, buddy."

Enos turned his head to Bo and then to Luke, "You saved my life. And Daisy's life too. Thanks."

Luke patted Enos' shoulder, "You're welcome. You would do the same for us. You know, Josephine and her friend Ellen came to visit you, few minutes ago, but you were sleeping. Josephine is planning to come back to Hazzard. She wants to start things from a new Shop and a new house for her. She has realized she can have good friends in Hazzard," he winked at Daisy, "doing the job she likes the most and being an independent woman."

"Really?" Enos smiled, "I am happy to know Josephine is fine. And since she is goin' to own again the Florist Shop, I'd like to ask her…" he blushed and glanced at Daisy, "… to provide the flowers for the wedding." He stared at Daisy, "Daisy Duke, would you marry me? I haven't forgot my promise."

"I can't wait for bein' Mrs Enos Strate!" Daisy hugged him tight, unable to hide her happiness and excitement, while Bo and Luke clapped hands showing their own happiness.

Uncle Jesse stood up and walked to the table near the bed, "I agree with you. Josephine is goin' to provide the best flowers for your wedding." He caressed the violet-blue flowers inside a small pot, "Josephine brought these flowers to you, Enos. Bluebells: they symbolize gratitude."

Enos stared at the flowers, their color reflecting into his tear-filled eyes. He smiled: the sense and the reason for his being a cop was in those blue-violet flowers.

THE END

* * *

><p><strong>A BIG THANKS to everybody reading this last line. It means you have followed me along this long story.<strong>

**THANKS! I really hope you enjoyed it.**


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